The Broken Bender
by Chickie.Babe1
Summary: Ba Sing Se is left behind along with the tragedies that occurred there. Aang is seriously hurt and the plan on what to do next needs to be decided. Freya throws herself into the new plan as a way to avoid the reality of what happened back in the catacombs. It proves to be easier than expected when the group sneak into the Fire Nation, just as long as no one mentions the Fire Prince
1. Chapter 1

**And here is the last, like I promised.**

 **I know that there are many stories that have Zuko with OC and she's a prisoner first. Sorry if you are disappointed this has done similar, but I more than enjoy it.**

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Book 3:

Chapter 1:

"What do we do now?" Toph asked as the darkness set in.

"We can't keep flying with Aang in this condition." Katara admitted "He needs rest and flying on Appa wont allow that."

"We can't stay out in the open either, if we fly too much the Fire Nation will spot Appa, and with Aang how he is, we can't risk getting into trouble." Sokka thought thinking

"Then we need somewhere safe to stop and hide out for a while." Katara nodded.

"Let's head back to Chameleon Bay." Sokka decided "Dad should still be there and we can think of a plan from there. We'll be safe amongst the Water Tribe men."

Katara nodded and Freya said nothing but turned the bison for the right direction.

The water tribe members were luckily still at the bay, however were now scaling across the water instead of anchored off the beach. The sun had risen by the time the group had reached it and Appa sank down into the water beside the chief boat as the men ran to look. Soon everyone was up on the decks of the boats and Toph was helped off of the Bison first by Sokka before the boy moved forwards and said hi to his dad.

Freya was last to slide off Appa's back as Sokka and Katara got Aang down and Sokka moved to explain to his father what had happened, the crew members looking at the injured avatar worriedly. Toph was introduced to Hakoda and the Earth King was treated properly, bowed to and greeted as his bear was helped off of the large bison as well, and Aang was laid down below deck where Katara sat and watched over him. The boy was yet to awaken again, having fallen unconscious. Freya was worried, lightning was not something you messed with and to have been struck by it…

But he was alive, all he needed was rest and time.

Freya, after being fussed over a little, moved back to Appa, climbing onto his back. The first thing she did, was crash. Her mind and body were physically and mentally drained and exhausted. It wasn't till later in the afternoon that she awoke, as no one came to bother her. The girl turned to watch as the water was peaceful and calm, flowing and carrying the boats through its currents.

Despite her nap, she couldn't forget and ignore what happened. Despite not wanting to remember what had happened, it was still on her mind, how could it not be?

 _You shouldn't be surprised. Which would you choose? Solitary, or home?_

"It doesn't matter how they treat him, he wants what he wants." Freya whispered to herself, staring upwards.

She remembered the frown that had been on Zuko's face when Iroh had arrived with Aang.

 _And his temperament with Katara had changed so suddenly when Aang arrived. Even though he helped save him…_

 _And you weren't enough for him to choose correctly…_ Freya closed her eyes as she felt like she'd been punched in the gut.

 _For the first time, you didn't hurt him, he betrayed and hurt you._

 _It only hurts, because you were so certain he'd choose otherwise._ Freya reminded herself, burying her face.

"Freya?" the girl didn't look up as her name was said. She heard the water move and felt Katara land on the bison before she sat down next to her.

"Are you alright?" Katara asked softly after a few minutes of silence.

Freya sighed and closed her eyes for a minute before she looked back out to the waters, but she didn't respond. The pain that had arisen in her chest was still there, the tingle that had moved from it and through her limbs made her wish her body was numb. She didn't like it, she could feel her flame within her, burning hot and angry and yet sad and resentful. She had no answer to give Katara. She didn't know what she felt, let alone if she was alright.

"You really scared me out there." Katara admitted. Freya took a breath before she decided she was okay to speak.

"When Aang got hit, it was like I felt it." Freya said "I felt empty and breathless and so much pain… I was so angry at Azula." Freya didn't look at the girl. "She was smiling."

Katara dropped her gaze.

"The fire just filled every inch of me before I couldn't contain it. And then I realised most of this was my fault. I had trusted Zuko, and in turn you did too. And he… if he hadn't…" Freya didn't finish and she bit her lip before dropping her gaze again.

"I felt so sure…" she whispered and her eyes pricked but she blinked and pushed the tears away. She didn't want to cry.

"I thought he might have changed too." Katara mumbled and Freya glanced at her "But some people can't change."

Freya turned away and then got to her feet. Katara watched her.

"I'm sorry Katara, because of my judgement, we could have lost Aang."

"Azula's the one who shot Aang." Katara said seriously as she stood up

"But if Zuko hadn't joined her we would have dealt with Azula and moved on quickly." Freya said "And that's on me."

"Freya, I saw how much faith you had in him, you put aside all the mistakes he made and found the good, I saw it in him as well, through you, because of you. It's not your fault that he made a different choice. Zuko even betrayed his uncle for this!" Freya knew that was true. And she knew blaming herself was pointless. But she was worried that if she blamed Zuko like she did Azula, she'd loose it. Iroh was right, she couldn't let the fire control her, and she couldn't let it get out of control every time her emotions peaked. She had to learn to contain it, control it and maintain it.

"I lost too much control to let myself be angry at Zuko." Freya whispered "That's twice now I've let it over take me, and I can't let it happen again." Katara looked surprised. Freya took a breath.

"I'd rather not talk about this. It makes me sound silly. I put the signs and logic aside and I dreamed for something that wasn't there." she closed her eyes. "I was wrong about Zuko. And when it ends up in someone getting as badly hurt as Aang like that, I cannot afford to be wrong again." Freya turned and slid down the bison's side, landing on the boat next to him, and walked away from the younger girl who frowned and turned to look over the ocean. Her expressed turned hard though as she instantly blamed Zuko. Not just for the choice he made, and not just for his assistance in helping Azula, but in hurting Freya so badly that she had come to doubt herself.

"She had trusted you too."

Freya moved off to find Sokka and found him on one of the boats talking to his father and Bato. They turned as she jumped and landed on the deck elegantly before she smiled slightly.

"Freya." Hakoda moved to hug the girl and she returned it.

"Hello Chief Hakoda." He stood back and looked at her.

"It's amazing how much you all have grown." he admitted

"Two years is a long time." Freya nodded and he agreed.

"How are you doing?"

"I've been better." Freya admitted and he nodded.

"I really need to thank you Freya, from the sounds of it you really looked after and saved my family." he admitted clapping her shoulder.

"They're my family too." she nodded.

"It's good to see you back Freya, last I heard you had been taken captive upon a Fire Nation boat." Bato admitted. Freya nodded as Hakoda looked worried.

"I was yes. Shockingly enough, wasn't as bad as it could be." Freya said before she turned to Sokka to change the topic, ignoring the surprised look by the two men.

"Any ideas on what we do now?" she wondered.

"Well with the Earth Kingdom now under the Fire Nation's control the invasion is out of the question." Sokka thought frowning. "We don't have the army and we don't have the resources."

"A large scale invasion is out of the question. We can't just infiltrate and attack." Freya sighed before she paused. "But we can be stealthy, quick and lethal." Sokka looked at her as she looked back confidently. "Sokka remember how we took down the drill? We weakened the structures and then we delivered the final blow, could we not do something similar with the invasion? We don't need an army and navy for that." she asked. Sokka looked at her before he beamed.

"And that's why you're the daughter of a General!" he cheered hugging her from the side. "We'll collect friends from around the Earth Kingdom and invade in a smaller group." he agreed

"We can use the lakes and rivers that run through the Earth Kingdom to visit places we've already been. Places we know we can find people." Freya said nodding.

"That might be a bit of a problem. The bay will likely soon be teaming with Fire Nation war ships if the Earth Kingdom has fallen. They'll be providing troops and machines to enter the city." Hakoda admitted.

Freya and Sokka shared a look before frowning.

"They'll all be going to Ba Sing Se," Freya mumbled "So we'll have to move out of Chameleon Bay regardless, this is the fastest way in."

"If they see our boats they'll attack and possibly sink us instantly with those fire bombs." Bato worried.

Sokka suddenly grinned.

"Not if we have one of their ships." he thought. The three looked at him.

"Sokka what are you saying?" Hakoda questioned

"We capture a Fire Nation Navy ship." Freya said "We blend in, they wont bother us, and we can move around freely. But we shouldn't move just yet, moving Aang too much could be bad for him. I say we stay here for a bit first while he rests and we get our bearings."

"That'll give us time to work on where we should go and who to find. We'll make a list for the invasion and start working out plans and collecting information." Sokka thought

"We can start by anchoring the boats somewhere safe for the minute." Hakoda decided and he turned to wave to the other sailors to instruct them.

"We'll need a lot of info if we're to enter the Fire Nation, even maps of the mainland if possible so we know where we're going and what to hit in order to reach the Palace." Freya nodded.

"Don't you know all that?" Sokka asked. Freya shook her head

"From what I've seen and heard the mainland has seriously changed since Sozin was Fire Lord and the defences have definitely increased with the hundred year war. I'm afraid in that aspect I'm no help, I can give an idea of the land but that's about it." Freya admitted. Sokka sighed and thought.

"Then we'll need lots of information."

"Well, if we capture a Fire Nation Ship they should have things on it that can help." Freya said and Sokka looked more hopeful again

"I don't know about you kids but I don't know very much about Fire Nation ships, let alone how to sail one." Bato admitted

"Well you're in luck." Freya smiled "I so happened to have been kidnapped and held upon such a vessel for several weeks, in which I was actually given free rein of. I learnt all the nooks, cranes and workings and could easily teach them to the men." the two men looked surprised. "However, what do we do with the crew once we've captured it?" she thought "We could lock them in the brig but…"

"We wont be able to let them go or they'll tell everyone their ship was captured." Sokka agreed "Can those cells hold fire benders in?" he asked her

"I'm sure they'd be able too. It depends on how talented of a bender they are. I was able to get out with water bending but they wont have that. Unless they melt the locks I think they'll stay. But do you really want them on board?" she asked frowning

"To be perfectly honest, no I don't, but unless we can erase their minds, what other choice do we have?" he asked. The two adults watched the two as they conversed and plotted.

"I don't know if we can do that. Unless we learnt how to do the brainwashing thing Long Feng did, but we never worked out how that worked." Freya sighed

"Katara jogged Jet's memory, could you and her take it away?" Sokka asked

"God I'd have no idea were to start. Healing broken memories is different to taking away some." Freya admitted "You could knock them on the head and hope they forget." she shrugged

"We have plenty of time to work out a plan." Hakoda decided, causing the two to look at him. "For now I suggest you kids just get some rest, you've been through quite a bit in the last few days."

Sokka and Freya shared a look before they nodded.

"We can work it out tomorrow." she agreed and he nodded

"Thanks dad." Sokka hugged his father and Freya waved before they moved across the deck and Freya created a bridge for them to move to another boat where Toph stood waiting.

"Dad said we could sleep in his boat for now. He's got a few empty cots." Sokka explained

"That's alright." Freya stopped and Sokka looked at her confused. "I'm going to stay with Appa for now, someone needs to keep him company while Aang's out." Sokka looked at her as though he was studying her.

"Freya are you okay?" he asked

"I'm fine." she responded and she walked past him and towards the bison before he could ask her any more questions.

She moved to the bison who grumbled at her as she approached.

"Don't worry Appa, Aang will be alright, he's just going to need lots of rest." Freya admitted as she pet the bison. He sighed and Freya climbed up to sit on his head and stared up at the bright blue sky.

So they had a plan. Capture a ship in order to get past the bay. Then they needed to round up people. At the same time they needed to figure out a plan for the invasion, wait for Aang to awaken, and stay under the Fire Nation's radar.

"That shouldn't be hard, I doubt they'd be looking for us after what Azula did…" she mumbled.

After all, what was the point in tracking a few benders and a seriously injured Avatar?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Freya sat with Sokka and the Water Tribe members in a war tent around several pieces of paper. Katara was with Aang as she had been the last few days, checking him over and making sure he was okay. Toph, much to her annoyance, had been given the duty of protecting the Earth King, keeping an eye on him, figuratively speaking.

Freya and Sokka had been in many discussions about what they were to do now that the Earth Kingdom had fallen. The first plan was to get a disguise.

"As expected the bay is being overrun by more and more Fire Navy ships." Bato admitted

"All we need is to get close to one, they're easy to board from there." Freya explained. "The helm is located high in order to give it a good vantage point."

"If we went in at night we can blend in with the darkness. The problem will be getting close enough."

"Our boats are rather too inconspicuous for that." Bato agreed and a murmur went around.

"That wont be a problem." Freya said "I can get us closer without them noticing. Katara as well. We'll create a current to move the canoes towards the ship, use the water as our cover, we can jump on board from the side and use a few of the helms blind spots for our boarding points."

"There's still a matter of what to do with the crew members." Hakoda thought

"I had an idea for that." Sokka said and everyone turned to him. "Knockout gas." he grinned

"Do we even have any of that?" Freya wondered

"Actually we do, in the form of small cylinders." Hakoda admitted

"We roll them into the helm, the rooms, the kitchen and anywhere else the guards are and knock them out while they're sleeping. We'll move them off ship and they'll never know what happened." Sokka grinned

"Except that their ship was captured." Freya said

"Yes but by the time they walk to Ba Sing Se or find someone to tell it'll be much too late." Sokka believed "We can't keep them on board and how will they know which ship is theirs?"

"Well I don't know about now, but when my dad had his fleet he had everything catalogued by reference number, position and which crew members were on each vessel."

"But that was before the war and with so many soldiers and so many ships who's to say the Generals even do that anymore?" Sokka asked Freya. She sighed and looked around at everyone.

"Well, I agree we shouldn't have them on board." she admitted and Sokka grinned. "We don't need them hearing what we're up to and somehow escaping or something." he nodded

"So we'll gas them out." he grinned

"You're too excited about this." Freya mumbled "What we also need to do is get Appa a new saddle." Freya said "Just because we'll have a boat doesn't mean we can neglect the option of being found. If that happens we need to get Aang out quickly at the very least."

"We'll worry about that," Hakoda assured and Freya nodded.

"We don't need to be worrying about slipping off him all the time." she muttered.

"Well then, men prepare for a sneak attack, Freya, go and tell Katara about the plan and meet us on the beach." Freya nodded and with everyone else she got to her feet and moved from the tent.

The girl moved across the sand and towards Hakoda's boat, climbing aboard she descended below deck and found Katara checking over Aang who was lying in one of the cots.

"How's he doing?"

"He's still unconscious." Katara said as she glanced at the older girl and then sat back down. "I'm a bit worried."

"You've checked his vitals, haven't you?" Freya asked as she looked over the young boy.

"Yes, and they're all fine."

"Then don't be worried. His body just needs to recover, I wouldn't be surprised if he was unconscious for a while. Lightning's not really something you play with." Katara nodded

"How'd it go by the way?" Katara asked "Do we have a plan for what's happening?"

"We're going to commandeer one of the Fire Navy ships. You and I are going to bend the warriors over under the cover of darkness. We can't approach with the water tribe ships they're two obvious and easily spotted, so small canoes are going to be the use of passage, however a canoe will never catch a Fire Navy ship by themselves." Katara nodded but she didn't look happy.

"Katara?" Freya asked

"What?"

"You don't look very happy." Freya admitted and then her eyebrows furrowed "Tell the truth I don't think you've left this boat very much either, have you even spoke to your dad?"

"Course I have." she responded

"Properly?" Freya nudged. Katara sighed.

"No."

Freya sighed.

"Well you can't avoid him forever, soon we'll be stuck on a boat together." Freya warned "But if you don't want to I'll be the one to transport your dad over the bay."

"Freya it's fine, it's not an issue." Katara said

"Sure it's not." Freya said and Katara glanced at her and the older girl gave her a look before turning to climb back onto the deck.

"Wait Freya, how about you? Are you alright?" Katara asked quickly

"Yeah, I'm good. I'll be better once Aang wakes up though. We've got a lot to do though so I'm sure it'll all be alright." she smiled and Katara watched her leave with a concerned expression.

"That's not what I meant." she sat back down regardless.

Freya jumped off the boat and saw Toph standing with Hakoda, Sokka and the Earth King, Bosco with him as he usually was, a little ways away. The blind girl looked frustrated.

"What's wrong?" Freya asked as she approached.

"It's the Earth King!" Sokka said surprised pointing at him "He's decided he's going to travel the world!" Freya blinked and looked at the man who smiled.

"Well, good on him." she decided and Sokka gapped at her "Sokka first of all, he's a bit of a liability if we need to worry about him all the time. Second he's never been outside the palace before, how'd you feel if you were locked up your entire life?" Freya asked him.

"He could be kidnapped!"

"He'll be fine as long as he doesn't have his royal gear with him. You can't really stop him." Freya said before she turned to the man who smiled at her. "Sorry Your majesty, but you're going to have to loose the garments." she admitted. He bowed to her smiling.

"Many thanks young Freya."

"Any time." she returned it and Hakoda called someone over to help the King change into something less flashy.

"By the way, how's this commandeering of a ship happening?"

"Sorry Toph but you'll have to wait here till it's done." Sokka said

"Why? You need me." Toph pointed at him

"You can't bend on the ship."

"Actually I can."

"We can't load earth onto it until we have the ship Toph, you might as well stay till we do that, look after Aang." Sokka instructed

"That's not what I meant." Toph said

"How can you bend on a ship made of metal?" Freya asked confused

"By bending the metal."

The two benders stared at the blind girl before Sokka's mouth dropped open and Freya just stared in amazement.

"You can bend metal?" Sokka demanded

"I can now." Toph grinned

"How'd you learn to do that?" Freya questioned

"That letter from my mum, turned out to be a trap." Toph confessed "Those two dunderheads Master Yu and Xin Fu trapped me in a metal cage and tried to transport me back to my parents." Toph explained

"And you metal bended your way out of the cage." Freya smiled

"How!?" Sokka questioned

"Well Metal is found in the earth, it's really just an extraction of it, like lightning is to fire and magma is to earth bending." Freya explained "That's really impressive Toph."

"Thanks." Toph grinned "So I'm coming onto the ship."

"As long as you don't wreck anything, we have any signs of wreckage and it'll blow our cover." Freya said and Sokka looked at her as he still comprehended the news.

"You take the fun out of everything." Toph grumbled, but the girl only smiled.

"Chief Hakoda." the four turned and the Earth King stood behind them now in dark rags and Bosco had lost his hat and jacket. The man who'd escorted him left as they turned to him.

"I'd like to thank you for all your help." the King smiled "For my freedom and for opening my eyes."

"Someone had to." Toph responded

"Thank you for agreeing to help us, even if it didn't go well." Freya returned.

"I wish you luck in your future endeavours." the King bowed before he patted Bosco's head and the two turned to move off from the camp and away from the beach.

"I can't believe we're letting the Earth King just leave." Sokka mumbled as they watched him.

"Like I said you can't stop him." Freya admitted "Now, let's get ready for tonight, the sooner we take a ship, the quicker we can move on to other endeavours." the others nodded in agreement before they all moved off.

"You know Freya, you make a very good leader." Hakoda smiled at her.

"Well, as you've heard my father was a General, it's in my blood." she smiled

"I do not quite understand that though I'll admit." Hakoda admitted

"Yes," Freya sighed before she turned to face the chief. "The truth is Chief, my father was actually a Fire Nation General and was a firebender. I'm not sure if Sokka or Bato or if anyone told you but when we found Aang it became clear that before Katara and Sokka found me, I'd been stuck in that ice block for around ninety-five years. My parents grew up in an age where the war was only just coming to be." she said as she bowed to him.

"I see, I guess that would make sense a few things." Freya was a little surprised of the man's reaction but she didn't dwell on it. Hakoda was a smart man after all, he could put all the information together rather quickly.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." she said but he shook his head.

"Regardless of that, you're still the girl who took care of my son and daughter and adopted to protecting the village despite it being filled with strangers. That is who you are, not you're background." Freya smiled and nodded at him.

"Hakoda, the sun will be setting soon, the canoes are ready." the two turned to a carrier and Hakoda nodded.

"Let's get going, we're going to need to scout the ships before we board one." Hakoda called and everyone moved towards the canoes that were sitting on the shore. Katara stood at one with Toph and Sokka spoke to a few of the men as Hakoda and Freya joined them, all hopping into a canoe.

The sun had begun to set and Freya and Katara shared a look as the men began to first paddle the canoes out into the water.

The sun set long after they left the shore behind them and the darkness fell as they spied a ship. The two water benders shared a look before they nodded and with a wave of their arms the men and Toph grabbed hard onto the canoes' sides and they went sprinting forwards across the water, catching up with the ship easily and moving along side it, hiding in the blind spots of the helms.

The warriors had grappling hooks which they used to climb up the side of the ship while Freya grabbed Toph and with a wave of her hand the two were shoved up and landing on the deck with the others.

The warriors fanned out as everyone had a mask covering their mouths. Freya moved into the ship with Toph following and while others took the helm and the quarters along the ship Freya moved to the weapons vault which Toph locked for the moment incase anyone managed to move against the gas and then the older girl moved off to the brig, checking it was empty.

When the deck was covered in sleeping Fire Nation soldiers Freya moved to the helm to show many of the men how to use the mechanism, which buttons did what and which levers were to be pulled.

Sokka moved through the captains quarters looking for information before he was suddenly smashing into the helm were Hakoda was deciding on what they were going to do next.

"Dad!"

"What is it Sokka?" Hakoda asked as everyone stopped and stared at him, surprised by the outburst of the boy.

"I found something important." He had a scroll in his hand which he handed to his father. Freya watched patiently as Hakoda read through it.

"It seems the Fire Nation is under the impression that the Avatar is dead." everyone stared at the chief shocked.

"What?" Katara asked

"That's no surprise." Toph believed

"Well, it makes sense." Freya said "Aang was out of it when we left and Azula shot him with lightning. They don't know we had special water in which we could save him with."

"The Fire Nation will have told the world about this event." Hakoda thought

"But this is perfect!" Sokka suddenly cheered and everyone turned to him "If they think Aang's dead they wont expect him on the day of black sun!"

"Sokka." Katara complained

"Sokka do you not know Aang at all!?" Freya demanded "He'll be so cut that the world thinks he's dead again! It'll just prove he failed in Ba Sing Se and let everyone down!"

"Yeah but if he stays a secret he can pop up and save it again during the eclipse and everything will be fine!" Sokka thought.

Freya groaned and ran her hands through her hair.

"Aang wont like it."

"He'll be fine." Sokka thought.

"What other information did you find Sokka?" Hakoda asked

"Anything that matches the Avatar being gone?" Freya prompted

"No, just orders to move to Ba Sing Se and help with the occupation." he said and a few nodded.

"Chief, the shore's coming into view." The water tribe boats were ahead on the shore and the Fire Nation ship began to slow down as the warriors pulled on the levers and hit the buttons to do so.

"You kids wait here while we load some of the supplies onto the ship." Hakoda decided

"I suggest we use Appa to remove the soldiers and we move them away from the bay." Freya said and many nodded in agreement. Several men followed Hakoda from the helm as the anchor was dropped.

"Sokka, come help me get Aang." Katara said "We can set him down in one of the rooms." Sokka nodded and they followed the men

"We should find something to cover up with." Freya said to Toph. "If we're seen in our Nation's colours they'll know we don't belong here." the two moved and one man was left at the helm as they moved though the ship.

"If I remember correctly the armour vault should be…" Freya opened a door and the room was filled with Fire Nation Uniforms. "Bingo." Freya unloaded a few and handed them to Toph before they moved to the weapons vault, unlocked it and grabbed a few of those as well.

The warriors began to climb back onto the Fire Nation ship and Freya and Toph gave out the uniforms as Sokka and Katara moved Aang to one of the quarters above deck. Appa was used to help move supplies from the shore to the ship and the canoes were stored below deck as well with the river boats.

The soldiers who had been knocked out with gas were loaded up onto Appa and Freya flew them a fair distance away from the bay, where a couple of soldiers who'd come with them off loaded the men and lay them in a clearing. The Bison had to make a few trips before the ship was free of Fire Nation soldiers.

"So what now?" Katara asked turning to Sokka

"We need to start gathering some old friends. One of our stops has to be the Northern Air Temple. We'll need some supplies and I reckon the Mechanist will have most of what we need." Sokka believed

"Well in order to accomplish both of those I suggest we head West." Freya said and turned to point in the direction. "That way we can move through the Earth Kingdom and find some people we've previously run into." she said "Also, it keeps us away from Ba Sing Se." The girl moved to Toph who handed her some faded red material.

"Katara, here." Katara took the cape and pinned it around her as Toph did the same. "This will stop other ships from spotting our colours from far away and keep our covers." Freya wrapped one around her own shoulders with a smile. "At least until we find something else to wear."

"Good thinking Freya." Katara smiled and the girl made a mock bow in return.

"Well let's get moving." Sokka cheered.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

The journey went smoothly after they occupied the ship. Fire Nation ships moved past with a wave in which the warriors returned as they passed, none had yet to stop and bother them. The group stopped in a few ports to resupply here and there and at one port they met some of Jet's old freedom fighters, a very large boy named Pipsqueak and a rather small one sitting on his shoulder named The Duke. Sokka explained most of the plan and the two came aboard, donned some Fire Nation uniforms and the ship continued on it's way towards the Serpent's Pass.

Aang was still yet to awaken and so Freya was looking after Momo and Appa happily while Katara checked on the boy from time to time. He'd been unconscious for so long that a buzz of dark hair had grown on his head while he'd slept, covering most of his tattoo, besides the arrow.

Hakoda and Bato had fit right into understanding the Fire Nations communications and movements from information found on the boat. They and Sokka worked on the invasion plan most days, finding information aboard the ship to help work out the small details. A list of people to find was also created as well as materials that suited Sokka's plans for getting through to the mainland of the Fire Nation and up to the palace. Freya had joined to try and help, adding in her own opinions and knowledge. The girl spent most of her time alone though, and many had been told by Katara not to bother her.

The girl had not been able to stop thinking about the Fire Nation thinking Aang was dead. She didn't blame them, they didn't know it was possible to heal him. Except that that wasn't true.

" _Maybe you could be free of it." Katara spoke up and Zuko and Freya looked at him confused. A glimmer of hope flashed through Zuko's eyes as he turned back to her._

" _What?"_

" _I have healing abilities." Katara admitted_

" _It's a scar. It can't be healed."_

" _Gonna say Katara, if it was that easy I'd have given it a shot already." Freya admitted_

 _Katara however reached into her top and pulled out an amulet from around her neck. Freya noticed it immediately as the vial Master Paku gave her after they left the North Pole. In it was special water as it came from the Spirit Oasis, the more spiritual place amongst all the ice._

" _This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have be saving it for something important." Katara walked closer to Zuko and turned to face him as she held up the amulet. "I don't know if it would work, but…" Zuko closed his eyes and Katara reached up to touch his scar._

Zuko knew about the Spirit Oasis water, and although it wouldn't occur to him immediately, Freya knew he'd remember about it. She knew he'd consider the fact that Katara could fix Aang.

 _He won't forget._ Freya knew the boy well enough. _But at the same time…_ Freya knew that if it meant Zuko going home, he would be less than likely to do anything about it.

 _At least not physically. He'd somehow send someone else to find out if Aang was alive, and then take measures if he's right._ Freya sighed.

"We just need to keep Aang hidden." she mumbled "No problem if he's unconscious." she thought.

A clatter suddenly sounded from behind her and Freya turned from the dark ocean and to the deck where Momo was being petted by Hakoda as Bato stood with him.

"Momo?" the clatter had come from the newcomer on deck. Freya grinned as Momo ran forwards as lying on the deck was Aang. He was covered in bandages and missing his top, his glider lay on the deck having made the clattering noise when he'd tripped in his haste to get up the stairs.

Momo landed on Aang's shoulder and licked his face as the boy propped himself up, holding his bandages.

"Twinkle-Toes, that's got to be you." Katara and Toph had been standing at the edge and turned grinning before they ran over to the boy.

"Aang, you're awake!" Katara beamed as she and Toph joined Hakoda and Bato along with Pipsqueak and The Duke.

"Are you sure?" Aang rubbed his eyes "I feel like I'm dreaming." Katara pulled Aang into a hug eagerly, startling Momo.

"You're not dreaming. You're finally awake." the girl released him and Sokka, dressed completely in a Fire Nation uniform, helmet and all, walked up to the boy to give him a hug.

"Aang, good to see you back with the living, buddy." his voice echoed from behind the mask.

"Sokka?" Aang questioned, peering as though he couldn't see properly.

Aang sighed and his eyes fluttered as his balanced wavered and he began to sway.

"Uh-oh! Somebody catch him, he's gonna…" Aang toppled backwards as Toph spoke and Katara ran forwards but Freya caught the boy as he crashed into her.

"We probably shouldn't have left him alone." Freya thought as she laid the boy down on the metal deck. "Waking up on a Fire Navy ship, no surprise he collapsed." Katara sat down with the boy and the two hoisted him into a sitting position.

Appa, now reinstated with saddle, moved forwards with a grumble to inspect what was happening as Freya moved to get the boy some water and Katara checked over his wounds to make sure he hadn't done any damage.

Aang drank the water and Sokka went to collect him a Fire Navy robe as he sat up and regained his composure.

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship? Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am I the only one out of it?" Aang questioned as Sokka gave him the robe, moving it around his shoulders and Appa sat himself down nearby, happy Aang was back.

Toph and Hakoda moved away with Sokka as the two girls calmed Aang down.

"We'll get to the story and tell you everything later Aang," Freya assured

"You need to take it easy, okay? You got hurt pretty bad." Katara reminded Aang as Freya nodded smiling. Aang sighed and lowered his arms to touch his bandages. "I like your hair." Katara smiled.

Aang gasped in shock.

"I have hair?" he raised his hands and ran his fingers all over his scalp, feeling the buzz. "How long was I out?" he questioned

"A few weeks." Katara admitted

"That long?"

"Don't worry, we took care of you." Freya assured "Well, Katara did." Katara smiled as Hakoda moved over towards them.

"Everything okay?" Katara looked annoyed at her dad before turning away from him.

"We're fine, Dad." she responded and Freya rolled her eyes.

Hakoda extended his hand towards Aang politely.

"I'm Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's father." Aang moved to take the Chief's hand but Katara grabbed him to stop him moving.

"He knows who you are. I just called you "Dad", didn't I?" Katara asked

"Katara." Freya said annoyed at the girl's tone.

"I guess you're right." Aang removed Katara's arm and extended his hand with a smile regardless.

"Nice to officially meet you, Chief Hakoda"

"It's an honour to meet you." Hakoda agreed, shaking his arm.

"Great, great. Now you guys have finally met, so would you mind giving us a little privacy?" Katara demanded

"Of course." and the man turned to walk away.

"Are you mad at your dad or something?" Aang asked as they watched the man pet Appa's head and Katara glared after him.

"What? Not at all, why would you say that?" Katara asked confused, raising an eyebrow and Aang shrugged.

"Maybe because you've hardly spoken to your dad and have been snapping at him every time you speak." Freya admitted "You've been really rude." Katara turned her gaze away and Aang looked between the two as Freya sighed and shook her head.

The two turned to the avatar however as he suddenly groaned and held his side in pain.

"Maybe we should go upstairs. You need a healing session." Katara decided and she helped Aang to his feet.

Freya stood as they moved to the door and through it towards one of the rooms and Toph moved over to her.

"So how's he doing?"

"Still sore, but as long as he doesn't over do it I'm sure he'll be fine." Freya said "Katara will look after him." she turned to the younger girl as Sokka moved over "We should all get some rest though, with Aang back who knows what'll happen now." she smirked and Toph chuckled

"Probably a good idea." Sokka agreed.

When the sun had risen Freya moved to the kitchen and made breakfast enough for everyone before she moved to hand it all out to everyone.

She moved to Aang's room and with a knock she found him lying down and he turned to her as she opened the door.

"Morning. I brought breakfast." she smiled

"You're cooking?"

"Keeps my mind off of things." she shrugged as she sat beside him. She ignored the avatar's confused look as she moved to grab his robe. "Come on, you can eat it on deck. We need to tell you what's happened since Ba Sing Se." Aang nodded and she helped him stand before he used his staff as a walking stick, using Freya for more support as she balanced his dish.

"Morning Aang." Katara smiled and she moved to help him as they sat him down on the deck. People stood and sat around with the bowls of hot food and Katara, Aang and Freya moved over to where Bato, Hakoda, Sokka and Toph were already sitting.

"How you feeling Aang?" Toph asked

"A bit sore. Hungry too."

"Well Freya's an excellent cook." Hakoda smiled and she returned it as Aang sat himself down and she handed him his bowl.

"Here you are."

"Thanks Freya." and he took a mouthful. "Wow this is good."

"I do pride myself in my cooking." Freya nodded as she sat down.

"So, someone want to tell me what's happened and why we're on a Fire Nation ship?" Aang asked.

"After what happened in Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety." Sokka explained"We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone. Well, not completely alone. Soon, the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise."

"Freya's proven to be quite the plan artist. She and Sokka planned all of this together." Hakoda smiled

"Well the Earth King leaving was a surprise but also, you can't blame him." Freya smiled as Sokka pulled out a map of the Earth Kingdom.

"Since then, we've been traveling west," he pointed across the map. "We crossed through The Serpent's Pass a few days ago."

"Shockingly haven't run into the serpent yet." Freya added

"We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us." Sokka nodded

"So, what now?" Aang wondered

"We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan." Hakoda explained

"It's Sokka's invasion plan." Katara said annoyed

"Yes, Sokka's plan. We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable." Hakoda explained

"So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke." he pointed over to the two, The Duke sitting on Pipsqueak's shoulders as they ate their breakfast.

"Good to see you again, Aang."

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage." Sokka lowered his voice. "We have a secret _._ You!"

"Me?" Aang asked confused

"Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead! Isn't that great?!" the boy got to his feet and cheered triumphantly.

Freya rose an eyebrow and turned to Aang expectantly, the boy got to his feet and looked around shocked as a few soldiers moved to collect the now empty bowls.

"The world thinks I'm dead?" he moved to look over the ocean as if expecting to see a sign that proved this. "How is that good news? That's terrible!" he burst

"Told you." Freya said to Sokka

"No, it's great. It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore. And even better, they won't expect you on The Day of Black Sun." Sokka admitted

"No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea. This is so messed up!" Aang ran his fingers through his hair.

"I told you he wouldn't like it." Sokka looked at Freya annoyed before a horn blared and they all turned to see another ship approaching them.

"I'll handle this. The Avatar is back!" Aang grabbed his glider and rose it to the air, expanding the fans. Aang groaned and lost his tall stance but continued to try and position himself on the glider to lift him into the air.

"Aang, you don't need to do anything." Freya assured as he tried to fly himself into the air despite the pain that was shooting across his face.

"Aang, wait. Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation." Aang looked sideways after glancing at the two girls before he folded up his glider.

"Everyone just stay calm. Bato and I will take care of this." Hakoda assured as the two put their helmets on their heads.

The Duke was rolled up into a cloth and Pipsqueak picked him up and threw him over Appa, who had moved himself to the cargo hold. The bison was covered in the sheet and hidden before Toph, Katara and Freya moved down the hatch with Aang as Sokka joined them.

"I hate not being able to do anything." Aang whispered annoyed

"Hopefully, you won't need to." Toph confessed.

The ship came up beside them and slowed to a stop before a ramp was placed between the ships and Fire Nation Soldiers walked on board and up towards Hakoda and Bato. The two shared a look before the man and his two soldiers stopped.

"Commander, why are you off course? All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving toward Ba Sing Se to support the occupation." he explained

"Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet. We have orders to deliver some cargo." Hakoda lied as the two shared a look.

"Ah, Eastern Fleet. Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I am sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, sir." Bato addressed

"I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?" the man continued to complain

"Next time, we'll send two hawks to be sure you get the message." Hakoda smiled. He and the man bowed to one another before Hakoda and Bato walked off. The three men however were yet to leave.

"Sir, Admiral Chan has been on leave for two months at Ember Island." one of the soldiers said through his mask.

"What? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything? Something's not right. They should've known that. I think this is a captured ship." they turned and began to walk but Toph was still listening as they whispered to one another before she jumped up from her hiding place.

"They know!" Toph slammed her hand into the metal and grabbed it. A crack ran across the metal to the ramp which crumbled and fell off from between the ships, causing the three to fall off into the water.

"Freya!" Katara and Freya jumped out and moved to the edge of the boat. They rose their arms and a giant wave rose between the two ships before they pushed it away to knock the other ship away from them. Those at the helm steered the ship and they began to race away from the Fire Navy Soldiers.

Freya shot herself up towards the helm and up as high as she could on the ship as the opposing vessel turned around to begin chasing them. Freya watched as rocks were put into the catapults and they were lit on fire before being flung through the air at them.

Water shot out and knocked them off course as Toph took a stance on the deck below her. Several blocks of earth had been brought onto the ship and Pipsqueak picked one up to place before the blind girl. Between Toph's flying rocks and Freya's water blasts they knocked the attacks off course and stopped the ship from being hit.

Toph directed a few straight at the ship and hit one of the catapults and then a fire ball as Freya had her eyes closed and was flowing through her stances, searching.

She found the rudder and with a pull of her hand she blocked it up and the ship slowed down. The girl then proceeded to destroy another catapult with a spear.

She watched as a ballista turned and pointed at the ship to be fired to spear the metal. It shot through the water and into the meal ship, puncturing a hole before the water swirled and began to rush in, filling the bottom of the boat.

"Katara! We're taking on water!" Freya shouted down and the girl moved to watch the water swirl as it flowed in through the hole.

Katara breathed down and ice covered the side of the ship, moving down to block the hole up as Freya waved her hand and the chain was cut.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" Katara decided and with some thrusts and bends a whirl pool began before she raised her arms and steam lifted up and filled the air. The ship was blocked from view and Freya jumped back down to the deck. Everyone watched as she ran straight for the end of the ship and suddenly dived off the end.

"What's she doing?" Toph demanded

"I dunno but Freya's taken out more of these ships by herself than anyone else, I'm sure she knows what she's doing." Katara assured before the entire boat shook from a blind fire blast.

Everyone moved as another blast came through the steam and blasted Toph's rock supply on the deck. Aang, who was hiding inside with Sokka looked frustrated.

"I can't just stand by and do nothing!" he ran out onto the deck but Sokka chased him.

"Aang! No!" the older boy caught the avatar's staff and stopped him.

"You're still hurt, and you have to stay secret. Just let us handle this." Aang pulled his glider back annoyed.

"Fine!" and he turned to stalk back inside. Sokka jumped as more smoke clouded the ship and through the mist the opponent ship was now right along side them. The fire blasts were sent onto the deck and there were several explosions. Katara pulled water up and put out the fires as Toph clung to the edge.

"How we doing?" she asked.

"Things couldn't get much worse." Sokka believed. At that moment the green Serpent leapt out of the water with a scream behind the boy who jumped at the noise. Sokka turned to stare up at it as it screeched.

"The Universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?" Sokka complained

"You make it so easy!" Toph believed.

Katara however was watching the serpent.

"Is that Freya!?" with a closer look everyone noticed the girl on the back of the serpent and when it swung it's head she let go and was thrown into the air. There was a burst of white fire and Freya went shooting away from the serpent and towards the water were she plunged down into, only to have it lift her up onto the deck from the other side.

"What are you doing!?" Sokka demanded

"We need a distraction for the ship." Freya believed as she pulled the water from her clothes.

"But what if it attacks us!" Sokka demanded as the serpent stared down at them.

The other ship suddenly fired a blast at the serpent and it turned to screech at them. The Serpent dove into the water only to emerge on their other side to screech down at the opposing ship and then wrap itself around it.

Freya turned to raise an amused eyebrow at Sokka who was watching surprised.

"Thank you, The Universe!" he bowed to the sky and Freya shot him an annoyed look.

"You're welcome." she said with irritation

"Good thinking on the serpent Freya." Katara smiled and she girl grinned before bowing.

"You're welcome. Now let's see if we can fix what ever's been damaged." she said looking around the ship. Several nodded to agree with her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The Fire Navy Ship was docked at a peer as Freya, Toph, Katara and Sokka moved through the halls towards Aang's room.

"Hey, Aang, we're going into town to find some dinner." Toph explained as the four were wearing the Fire Nation capes. The boy sat up as they opened his door and clutched his stomach when it growled at him.

"Well, I am pretty hungry. Maybe dinner's a good idea." he agreed. Sokka pulled a red band from his waist and walked towards Aang.

"Here, tie this around your head. It'll cover your arrow." Aang looked annoyed at the headband.

"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly." he snapped

"Aang, come on, be practical." Sokka said as the boy turned to lie on the bed and turned his back on them.

"You guys go ahead without us. We'll catch up with you." Katara decided, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. Sokka and Toph turned to leave and Freya smiled to Katara.

"Good luck." she said "I'll go make something for you to bring up to him." the younger girl nodded and while Toph and Sokka headed up and out of the ship, Freya headed to the kitchen.

She cooked a few different things and soon Katara came down to collect it.

"How's he doing?"

"Well you were right, he feels like he failed." Katara admitted "He's worried everyone's risking their lives for him, and he doesn't like the invasion because of it."

Freya sighed. "One day he'll release that it's not just him we're fighting for. This is our world too, and if we don't fight for it, it'll end in ashes." Katara frowned

"I don't think he's realised that."

"No, he hasn't. In the end we can't do this without him, but he can't do it without us either. No one person can stop this war alone, even if they are the avatar." Freya plated up some food onto a tray and handed it to Katara. "Aang will realise that." Freya assured "But it probably wont be till after he's done something stupid and we have to save him."

Katara looked at Freya sadly before she picked up the tray and moved off from the room.

Freya sighed and put more bowls onto another tray before she took that up the stairs to the deck, moving to the deck and handing out dinner to those who were still left. She then continued up the helm in which Bato and Hakoda were upon.

"Dinner?" she handed them both a bowl and they thanked her. The girl turned as Katara suddenly came running forwards and she, Hakoda and Bato shared a look. Katara had tears in her eyes and Freya looked at her confused.

"I'll leave you alone." Bato decided and he walked away

"What's wrong Katara?" Hakoda asked

"He left."

"What?" Hakoda and Freya asked

"Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone. That it's all his responsibility." Katara explained and Freya turned to look over the railing at the water.

"Maybe that's his way of being brave." Hakoda offered

"It's not brave. It's selfish and stupid." Katara snapped angrily "We could be helping him. And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much that we need him too? How could he just leave us behind?" Katara eyes welled up with tears as she spoke.

Hakoda turned his gaze away sadly.

"You're talking about me too, aren't you?"

"How could you leave us, Dad? I mean, I know we had Gran Gran, and she loved us, but… but we were just so lost without you." Katara turned away and sobbed as she wiped away her tears. Hakoda put a hand on her shoulder.

"I am so sorry, Katara." The girl couldn't help it and she hugged her father, crying.

"I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I was so sad and angry, and hurt."

"I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world." Hakoda promised "I thought about you every day I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep. I would lay awake missing you so much, it would ache."

"Katara!" the three turned as Sokka came running onto the balcony with Toph.

"What happened?"

"Aang's apparently gone." Freya spoke up

"Gone where?" Toph asked

"If I had to guess, he's gone to the Fire Nation." Freya said looking irritated

"Why?" Hakoda wondered

"Katara said he feels the need to face the world by himself. He feels responsible for what happened in Ba Sing Se and he'll want to rectify that immediately. He's forgetting the fact that he's seriously injured and probably trying to go now." she explained

"Are you sure?" Hakoda asked

"Freya understands Aang's thinking better than we do, we'd better hurry if we're to catch him." Sokka said and he turned to run off the balcony.

"Hang on," Freya said "We can take Appa and get into the Fire Nation, but I don't think we should then try and get out again."

"What? Why?" Toph asked

"Sneaking into the Fire Nation with Appa and Aang may not be something we can do three times, and this time we want everyone to think Aang's gone, getting through the blockade will need to be done a lot more stealthy than the last time we did it. If Aang's already there we should stay."

"What about the invasion?" Katara wondered

"You kids go with Aang, we'll meet you in the Fire Nation before the invasion is to begin." Hakoda decided.

"Sokka, you and Hakoda work out where we'll meet later on and what needs to be done in the mean time." Freya said "Katara, Toph, we need to load up Appa with supplies."

The group all got going and making set for their trip before everyone met at Appa who stood on the front deck of the ship.

"Everything sorted?" Freya asked as she slid off the bison's back and landed next to Katara as Toph was in the saddle.

"Yeah, we've got it all worked out." Sokka assured

"Well except for one thing, how are we going to find Aang?" Toph questioned

"Leave that to me." Freya assured "I can find him. I doubt he's gone further than the ocean yet." she turned to look at the sky in which it was covered in dark clouds.

"Be careful, there's a storm coming." Hakoda admitted

"Yeah, be careful on Appa," Freya nodded

"Uh, you're coming on Appa too?" Sokka thought but the girl shook her head.

"I'm swimming. I need to find Aang from quite a way away, I'm gonna need to be connected to the water."

"But he took his glider?" Toph believed

"In this weather I doubt he'll stay in the air for long, and even so, if it's started raining I can still find him." Freya assured and the two siblings shared a look before nodding.

"Be careful and stay safe until we meet back up for the invasion." Hakoda warned as Bato came up behind him.

"Yeah we don't need to arrive to find you've been kidnapped." he chuckled

"Well, we've managed so far." Freya smiled at the others who nodded.

Hakoda and Bato hugged the three children and wished Toph good luck before Katara jumped into the saddle, Sokka took the reins and Freya ran for and dived off the edge of the boat into the water.

Appa walked to the edge as Freya closed her eyes and immersed herself in the feel of the current around her, letting it pull her slightly.

The three waited on Appa as Momo sat on Toph's shoulder before the water swirled and Freya was lifted up onto it. Appa lifted into the air as Sokka flicked the reins and said the magic words as the water rose up and began to move Freya across it.

Hakoda and Bato waved as the four moved off into the darkness and away from the ship, following the duo bender.

They headed towards the Fire Nation as Freya assumed the boy had gone and soon the Blockade came into view. Freya jumped backwards and onto the bison's head before she and Katara bent the water around the bison.

"Take us down Sokka." Freya ordered and the bison dove down into the water. The air bubble protected them as they dived straight down to move under the ships and stop them from being spotted.

The ships moved over the top of them and disappeared behind before Appa moved upwards and back into the air.

Rain began to fall and Katara bent the water to shield them from the drops as Freya dove back into the waves. The wind began to pick up and Freya had the water move her as she moved over it all, sometimes diving straight into the large waves above them. Appa growled several times but pressed forwards after the girl. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked as they pressed on before there was a break in the clouds and the rain began to lighten up.

"How much further!?" Sokka shouted over the dying wind.

"No far, he's washed up on a beach!" Freya returned before the water shot her upwards and she landed besides the boy.

"Actually, I think it's the Crescent Island we went to on the Solstice, back when Zuko kidnapped me." she said

"How can you tell?" Toph asked

"I can feel the water moulding around it." Freya shrugged.

"But if he's washed up…" Katara wondered "Is he okay?"

"Unfortunately, that, I can't tell." Freya frowned. She turned to Sokka. "We just need to hurry." he nodded and flicked the reins again.

They flew through the darkness and past the storm before light began to move at the horizon. Katara and Toph had long since fallen asleep in the saddle while Sokka and Freya kept their eyes out for the island.

"There!" Freya pointed as the billowing smoke from the volcano caught her attention against the lightening sky. "Katara, Toph, wake up!" the two did so as the lava lines shone in the lightening day and the dark water began to lighten

"Do you see Aang?" Katara asked

"Yes! There he is!" the three peered over the edge of the bison as Toph listened to see the boy lying on the shore with the water lapping at his feet. Momo jumped off of Toph's shoulder and flew down to the boy, landing on his chest and licking his face as Appa landed a little ways off. The four all jumped off of the bison and Katara ran towards the boy worried.

Aang opened his eyes to look at Momo who jumped off of him as the boy sat up with a groan. Katara beamed at him as she was first to reach him.

"You're okay!" Katara smiled as she collapsed to her knees and pulled the boy into a hug while the other three caught up to her.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Freya demanded as she stood before the boy "Don't you remember the last time you ran away?" Aang frowned as she looked at him angrily "And this time you were hurt and without Appa. You're insane!"

"Freya," Katara frowned

"What? He scared the shit out of me. You're just lucky I was able to find you."

"I'm sorry Freya." Aang said "It was a stupid decision."

"I'll say."

"You did say he had to do something stupid in order to understand Sokka's plan." Katara admitted

"Well running away and almost drowning is more than stupid. It's suicidal." Freya turned and crossed her arms annoyed.

"Coming from the girl who lets her fire bending get out of control every time she gets angry." Sokka mumbled. Freya shot him a look and he flinched.

"No, Freya's right. You all were." Aang admitted and Sokka smiled as he joined his sister in hugging the avatar, Toph doing so too as Appa walked over to them and Momo sat on Aang's shoulder.

"Come on Freya." Katara smiled. The girl looked down at them all with scrutiny before she sighed.

She joined their group hug as Appa put his forehead down to the five and Momo.

"You do this again though and I swear I'll roast you." Freya warned, earning a laugh from everyone. They broke apart and Aang had a frown on his face.

"I have so much to do." he admitted

"I know, but you'll have our help." Katara assured

"You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?" Toph asked

"And that includes some fire bending training. We need to get you as ready as possible." Freya said and Aang looked at her worried as everyone else looked surprised. "I can start him off, with at least blocking and dispersing, we're in the Fire Nation, you might need it."

"But, what about the invasion?" Aang asked looking at Sokka.

"We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse." Sokka explained

"Hey, what's…" Toph reached behind her and pulled out a rod from behind her. They all frowned "Oh… it's your glider." the thing was broken and burnt with most of the fans missing now. Freya gasped and everyone looked at her as she looked distraught.

"That was handcrafted." she confessed as Aang took it from Toph.

"That's okay. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." Aang decided as he turned from the glider to the others. They all stood up as Aang did and he jumped up onto a mound of rock. He stood for a second before he spun his glider around and suddenly jammed the bottom into the rock so it stood up.

Freya looked surprised as he jumped away and they all watched as the thing caught fire and began to burn.

"But, it's an antique." Freya whispered and everyone chuckled at her as she hung her head.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"I think I see a cave below."

"Shhush… keep quiet!" a cloud moved through the air and towards the ground were a cave poked out of the earth. The cloud dispersed to reveal Appa, with Aang, Sokka, Katara, Freya and Toph onboard.

Sokka jumped off the bison first and immediately had his back against a rock, peaking around it suspiciously. "Great job with the cloud camo, but next time, let's disguise ourselves as the kind of cloud who knows how to keep its mouth shut." he decided, his arms crossed before he glanced around the rock again.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in." Toph said sarcastically as she, Katara, Freya and Aang walked towards the boy, Momo on Katara's shoulder.

"Hey! We're in _enemy_ territory. Those are _enemy_ birds." Sokka pointed to the birds sitting on the rock above him and one of them hopped lightly onto the top of his head and cawed at them. The four benders couldn't help but laugh.

"They're adorable Sokka, calm down." Freya promised as she moved and scratched one's chest, causing it to puff up with pride.

Sokka hit Freya's hand away from the bird and she looked at him annoyed as he did her.

She simply turned and with the other three they began to move towards the cave, Appa following before Sokka suddenly dived over their heads and crashed into the ground before them, making them all stop.

"Sokka…" Freya said with a raised eyebrow as he looked up and around, his hair now a mess. He didn't respond but got up and ran into the cave, the four and Appa following before he stopped.

"Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins. Hiding in cave after cave… after cave… after cave…" Sokka's head dipped forwards with disappointment at the idea.

"Sokka, we don't need to become cave people. What we need is some new clothes." Katara said. Her's and Freya's were still charred from Ba Sing Se while Aang's bandages were exposed under his robe.

"We just need some Fire Nation red and we'll be good." Freya agreed

"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out. If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave." Aang nodded

"Plus… they have real food out there. Does anyone wanna sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" Toph was sitting amongst the rocks and suddenly bashed the wall to have hoppers of white jump out everywhere. Momo suddenly dashed forwards and caught one, bitting it's head off.

"Looks like we got out voted, sport." Sokka said to the lemur before turning to the others. "Let's get some new clothes." he grinned

"Yes!" Freya grinned and she turned to leave the cave first.

They moved off away from the shore until they found a hut. It sat beside a water fall and steam was pouring out of the ground below rows and rows of clothes hanging on lines being dried. A man sat asleep in the doorway of the building as the five snuck around and crouched behind the rocks.

"I don't know about this. These clothes belong to somebody." Aang said worriedly

"I call the silk robe!" Katara suddenly called grinning before she leapt out from behind the rocks and ran at the clothes.

"Hey!" Freya called before she dashed after her.

"But if it's essential to our survival… then I call the suit!" Aang grinned and followed the girls.

They moved through the line, pulling off clothes while Sokka tried to find ones that fit him.

They each dashed out of sight and began to pull on the garments. Aang tied a cloth around his forehead to hide the arrow and was wearing a black and red vest over light and dark brown t-shirt and long sleeve top, pants and knee high boots. All of his tattoos were covered up by the clothes.

Toph had a red pant suit, red and yellow vest held together with a brown wide sash while Sokka had a long brown vest with dark shorts and shoes.

"Ta-dah! Normal kid." Aang proclaimed

"Hmm… I should probably wear shoes, but then I won't be able to see as well. Sorry shoes!" Toph sat down and kicked out the soles of the shoes, leaving just the covering over the top and over her toes. The sole of the shoes splatted onto Sokka's face who looked annoyed before the young bender got back to her feet. "Finally, a stylish shoe for the blind earthbender."

"How do I look?" the three turned to Freya and Katara, both wearing red. Katara had a one shouldered crop top and a long red skirt, cuffs over her arms and wrists as she had two bunches of hair over her shoulder and the top pulled back into a bun, leaving most of it cascading down her back. Freya had braided the sides of hers, which were pulled together at the back and was wearing a v-necked red kimono top and long tight dark brown skins underneath the short skirt with tall knee high boots that held a red rim. She had metal wound around her upper left arm and a leather cuffs over her forearms.

Aang brushed the back of his head as he looked at Katara blushing before he noticed something out of place.

"Uh… your mom's necklace." he frowned and Katara looked down as she touched it remembering

"Oh… oh, yeah. I guess it's pretty obviously water tribe, isn't it?" she said as she reached to unclip it and take it off.

"Don't worry, you can still keep it close to you." Freya assured placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, making her smile. "Come on, we can go into town to get some things to complete the looks." Freya smiled to them all "I do love shopping." she muttered, earning chuckles from the others. "We found some Fire Nation money on the ship and brought some with us. We can get some food too."

The four nodded and they moved from the driers and towards a town sitting not far off.

They reached a store were Freya bought a ribbon to tie around her neck with a fire pendant, Toph put a headband on her head, Katara bought a necklace to replace her mother's and Sokka bought a tie to put around his bun. Aang looked around before he stuffed Momo down the front of his vest.

"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago. So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or as they say in the Fire Nation — "Stay flamin'"!" Aang sauntered out and the three turned to Freya who had an eyebrow raised.

"They don't say that." she said before following the avatar.

"Greetings, my good Hotman!" he said waving to a man eating meat on a stick.

"Uh, hi. I guess?" he returned surprised as Sokka shrugged to him.

They walked up to a shop and Aang faltered as he looked up at the sign.

"Oh, we're going to a meat place?" he asked as Sokka grinned at the skewers.

"Come on, Aang. Every one here eats meat… even the meat!" he pointed to a hippo cow that was eating chunks of meat while surrounded by flyblown fish.

"You guys go ahead. I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." the avatar decided, pointing over his shoulder.

The four nodded in agreement and they walked into the shop without him, Katara waving.

"He'll be okay right?" she asked

"As long as he doesn't bend anything he can't get into too much trouble." Freya believed as they took a seat. "Besides it wouldn't be fair to make him come in here anyway. Aang's spent his whole life being a vegetarian."

"I don't understand why, meat is amazing!" Sokka grinned as plates were placed before them.

"For us maybe." Freya shrugged as she picked some up and took a bite.

"Wow, this is good." Toph believed.

"Let's just hurry back to Aang." Katara said

"Chill out, he'll be fine." Sokka believed.

However when the four went outside, Aang was not there.

"Where is he?" Katara asked as she looked slyly at Sokka who was looking around worried.

"He's probably already back at the cave." Toph said

"Even so, let's split up and search the town before meeting back there." Freya decided and they all nodded before they headed into different directions to search the town. Freya moved looking in windows and moving inside some as well. The air bender however was no where to be seen.

Eventually the girl moved back to the cave where the other three were already waiting.

"No luck?" Freya asked and they all shook their heads.

"What do we do?" Katara asked and Freya could see the distress in her eyes.

"We checked the entire town, all we can do is wait here to see if he turns up. If it get's dark and he's not back, we start with holding facilities. If he has been captured by the Fire Nation than it'll soon be all over the news anyway."

"We can't wait that long!?" Sokka said frantically.

"If he's been captured we wont have a choice, but there's no point moving until then. If he does return, it'll be here." Freya believed

"Freya's right, besides, if twinkle-toes had been kidnapped I'm sure there'd have been some giant fight over it." Toph said. "Remember, Momo's with him too, and I'm sure the lemur would have come and got us in a panic if anything was wrong."

The two siblings shared a look before they nodding in agreement.

"All we need to do is wait." Freya said

"Well, why don't you start a fire in the mean time?" Sokka asked.

"Usually people say please when asking for favours." Freya said, her hands on her hips. Sokka grinned guiltily before the older girl sighed and then exited the cave to come back few minutes later with burnables to start a fire.

Luckily Aang returned just after the sun had vanished past the horizon. He was covered in ash and walked into the cave grinning.

"Where have you been? We've been worried sick!" Katara said immediately.

"If you're going to run off and get blown up can you at least tell us first!" Freya snapped annoyed

"I got invited to play with some kids after school." Aang smiled as he removed his headband.

"After…" Freya's eyes widened as Sokka suddenly stood up, flummoxed

"After what?" he demanded

"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school, and I'm going back tomorrow." Aang explained

"Enrolled in _what_?!" Sokka asked again in the same tone before he tumbled over backwards back to the ground in a cloud of dust.

"Aang, really? A Fire Nation school?" Freya asked frowning as Aang walked forwards to sit with the four. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes! I had so much fun today." Aang grinned "Plus imagine what I could learn." he believed as Sokka got back to his feet and sat down between Katara and Toph.

"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea. But it sounds… really terrible." Sokka said

"Yeah, we got our outfits. What do you need to go to _school_ for?" Toph asked

"How did you even get there?" Freya asked confused

"It turns out my clothes are the school uniform." Aang admitted

"You got caught being in the town, didn't you." Freya mumbled and Aang looked guilty.

"Look, every minute I'm in that classroom. I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation. I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." he held up a piece of paper grinning. "And here's one that I made out of noodles!" they were very similar but not identical.

"Impressive, I admit. But I still think it's too dangerous." Sokka said

"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were _supposed_ to learn about it in class tomorrow…" Aang taunted

"Hmm… I _am_ a fan of secret rivers."

"Sokka!" Freya groaned but Sokka relented.

"Fine, let's stay a few more days." he agreed and Freya dropped her head

"Flamey-o, Hotman!" Aang spun and jumped into the air before he suddenly ran off.

"Flamey-o?" Sokka asked turning to Katara but she shrugged her shoulders. Both turned to Freya

"They don't say that." she said simply.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

As promised Sokka allowed Aang to leave and go to the Fire Nation school, which sat up a hill and on a cliff overlooking the rest of the village as well as the ocean. Aang had told them his name was Kuzon, the name of his old friend from a hundred years ago, and that he came from the Fire Nation Colonies in the Earth Kingdom.

Freya still believed it was a bad idea for the airbender to go but she said little other than telling the boy that Momo had to this time stay in the cave with them.

"We don't need someone seeing the avatar's flying lemur while we're in the Fire Nation, if you're going to do that you might as well just take Appa." she said stubbornly and Aang frowned before he sighed.

"Fine." he removed the animal from his vest and Momo ran over to Appa, sitting on his head.

"Now. No fighting. You can't use any of your bending seeing as you can't fire bend yet and we don't need you attracting attention or getting into trouble." she warned

"I know Freya don't worry."

"Lately you've done nothing but make me worry. You almost died remember." she grumbled "I'm starting to feel more like your caretaker than your friend." she sighed "Go on." he grinned at her before running from the cage.

"You know you've got a point Freya, you're starting to act more like Katara." Toph said

"Hey!"

"Well if he's going to be unnecessarily risky when we first get here… At least let us learn a little more first." Freya mumbled

"What's there to learn? We have you?" Sokka thought

"Sokka, I haven't been here for a hundred years. Things have changed. I mean look how Aang's been acting, flameo, hotman?" she rolled her eyes "We need new and recent information."

"Well, Aang is getting it in a way." Toph said

"Yeah, I know. Let's just hope he stays out of trouble." Freya sighed

"He's an airbender, aren't they all about avoiding conflict?" Sokka questioned

"And how much conflict has Aang gotten into since you met him?" Freya asked, raising an eyebrow.

There was silence for a second.

"Good point." the boy mumbled.

"In the mean time I am going to go find a book shop." Freya decided and the three looked confused

"A book shop?" Katara asked

"We need to learn things, a book shop is the best place to do so." Freya said shrugging "Firebending is one of the things I need if I'm going to instruct Aang, but we need history books and information about the military and all kinds of things in order to blend in and for the invasion."

"That's actually a smart idea Freya." Katara said getting up as Sokka watched and Toph slumped. "I'll come with you."

"You two stay here, watch Appa and Momo." Freya said pointing to the animals.

"What?" Sokka complained

"Unless you have something better to do?" Freya offered as she rose an eyebrow. Sokka slumped and looked annoyed as he turned his eyes to the side. He said nothing.

"Didn't think so." Freya nodded

"Keep him out of trouble Toph." Katara said chuckling before the two girls left the cave.

"Does this village even have a book shop?" Katara asked

"I feel like they will. The Fire Nation seems to have high hopes in showing their youth that the war isn't just about them gaining power." Freya said "At least that's what I've gathered from Zuko. They think the war is their way of sharing their happiness with everyone."

"How can war bring happiness? Especially when it's under the Fire Lord?" Katara questioned

"Look around Katara, is the Fire Nation unhappy?" Freya asked as they entered village. The girl frowned and looked around as she was told. People were moving around, conversing and going about their duties.

"Compare it to the Earth villages we've been to where they're appressed, where they're the ones being invaded." Freya shrugged

"I guess." Katara mumbled

"Most of the Fire Nation probably don't know what's going on outside of their Nation, why would they be told of all the people who have lost their homes or families because of the war?" Freya frowned

"And of course Zuko never cared about it." Katara scowled.

Freya said nothing and the younger waterbender turned to her friend.

"How are you going by the way?" she mumbled "Regarding Zuko?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about it."

"But Freya, all you're doing is repressing your emotions." Katara believed

"Look, if you were going to choose between your nation, your people, your family, and one kid, who would you choose?" Freya asked

"If my nation was wrong—"

"Bearing in mind working for your father's love and approval is all you know and this was promised to you? And you don't think the other option is detrimental?"

Katara frowned.

"I should not be surprised by the choice he made, and I'm not." she added as Katara watched her "But the outcome, of what happened with Aang, makes his choice all the worse. And that is what is getting to me. There's nothing more to confess." Katara frowned and Freya moved off to a store ahead of her.

The younger girl couldn't blame Freya for not talking more, but she believed there was more to it than Freya having hope that Zuko could choose the better path. It lead back to the fact that Zuko didn't choose her, that he didn't seem to regard her as important. Katara however didn't want to say this and cause the girl more sadness if that was the case and it hadn't occurred to her.

Freya disappeared into a shop and Katara followed silently. The walls were lined with shelves in which piles and piles of books were stacked upon. Freya grinned at it all before she moved to look along one row of shelves and Katara looked surprised.

"There's so many books for a simple store." she thought.

"Fire Nation. Never do anything simply." Freya nodded as she pulled off a book and opened to read the preface.

"Good morning." the two turned to a women with spectacles sitting on her nose as she smiled at them. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, we're from the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom and were just looking for a little more information on the homeland. We didn't get as much information I believe as we could as to our history." Freya smiled and the women returned it, clearly delighted they were looking for information and books on their nation.

"Well, all the books on the Fire Nation are on the back wall." she pointed and the two turned to see the shelf covered in different shades of red and orange books.

"Thank you." Freya bowed and Katara did the same. The girls moved to the back of the store and both pulled off a book. Eventually both took a seat on the floor and books were scattered around them. Freya made a pile of a few beside her and returned the rest as they spent the day in the store. The keeper continued to come over and ask if they were alright and both nodded and promised not to make a mess and to return the books in their proper order.

"This was a good idea Freya," Katara believed.

"It was a necessity." Freya said as she looked over the shelf again. The girl stopped at a book and pulled it off the shelf surprised. Katara watched her as she opened it and flicked through the pages.

"What is it?" she wondered

"Book of past generals." Freya murmured as she turned and sat down, leaning on the shelf. Katara scuttled to sit beside as she flicked through.

"Are you looking for your dad?" Katara asked

"Well, I still don't know what happened, and none of the water tribe can tell me… maybe the Fire Nation can?" she mumbled

"Would he be in such a book?"

"He should be. He did a lot for his Nation and was an incredible bender." Freya thought "Many enjoyed and appreciated him so…"

Katara looked over the different Generals, all at different ages but none very young. Freya paused and smiled at a page in which Iroh was depicted and Katara looked confused.

"But, should he be in here?" she asked as Freya read the description of him being Prince of the Fire Nation and now the Fire Lord's brother.

"He is a past General, he retired several years ago after all." Freya shrugged "He just hasn't passed away." Katara nodded as the continued before Freya stopped.

The portrait of a man sat on the page. He had black hair, fair skin and his eyes were golden. He had a kind face and was smiling ever so slightly. Freya looked at him fondly as she traced her fingers down the page.

"That him?" Katara asked and Freya nodded.

The younger girl looked at the description at the bottom. The words that jumped out were:

 _Missing In Action._

 _Traitor to the Nation._

Katara looked at the caption and frowned, however when she looked at Freya, expecting her to be sad, she was smiling gently. Katara wondered if perhaps she was just reminiscing on the picture, and was yet to read the words below it.

She waiting and eventually Freya started nodding.

"I'm sorry Freya." Katara mumbled, and the older girl looked at her confused.

"Sorry?" Now Katara didn't understand.

"He was kicked out of his home? Lost and unknown of what happened to him?" Katara thought but Freya shook her head.

"He wasn't kicked out, if that was the case it'd say he was banished." she admitted "My dad was classified a traitor most likely because he refused to allow the raids on the Southern Water Tribe. Missing in action, I assume he and my mother ran eventually. Them and the other benders could only hold the raids so long, and seeing as Gran-Gran didn't know my mother, they'd have had to have left." Freya shrugged "They were together till the end. And considering I was missing, or even presumed dead, that's much better than them being apart." Katara smiled and nodded before she leaned her head on the girl's shoulder.

Freya nodded before she closed the book and put it down. They were looking for information, and although reminiscence was important, so was what they needed.

Freya put the book to the side and Katara watched her as she picked up another to start reading, only to add it to her small pile she'd put to the side.

When the girl stood up for another book, Katara nabbed the History of Generals and kept it beside her as they continued.

When Freya was satisfied she grabbed her pile of books and moved to the counter, Katara following and adding a few to the stack. They paid for the books and moved off from the town and back towards the cave. When they arrived they found Sokka lying on the ground with a pile of papers and Toph was doing nothing, her back to the dirt and her face to the celling.

"That's a lot of books." Toph spoke and Sokka turned to them.

"Well, I read some and browsed others and decided to keep these ones with us for future use. Katara added some as well."

"There's some rather interesting information here in the Fire Nation." Katara nodded

"What like how to seriously hurt and maim people?" Sokka asked from the floor. "Or how to be sneaky and manipulative?"

"Neither actually." Katara shrugged. She took a book from the pile and moved over to Sokka grinning however. "You've gotta see this though." Sokka watched as she opened a page. "It's Freya's father." the older girl stopped and looked surprised

"Katara, did you buy that Generals book?"

"Of course I did." she said obviously "It's got your dad in it."

"Katara, we were supposed to use that money for useful things, you just bought an entire book for one page." Freya sighed as she moved forwards were Sokka was looking at the photo.

"Yes but you don't even have a picture of your parents, I know that if I found a photo of mum, it'd be priceless regardless, and I couldn't just rip the page from the book."

"Sure you can." Freya and Katara watched with open mouths and Sokka grabbed the page and ripped the photo from the binder. He handed it up to Freya before looking between the two.

"Sokka!" the two shouted annoyed.

"You guys seem to be in a bad mood…" the three turned to find Aang at the entrance. He was grinning guiltily as he brushed his head and began to back away. "I'll just come back."

"Aang!" Freya stopped the boy as Katara hit her brother and took the book and the page as he complained. "What did you do?" she questioned. Aang laughed humourlessly and Toph sat up listening herself.

"I may have gotten in trouble." Aang said

"What kind of trouble?" Freya rose an eyebrow

"I have to go back to school for a meeting with the principle with my parents." Aang admitted and Freya groaned, slumping as Katara, Sokka and Toph all questioned in surprised.

"What did you do?" Katara asked

"I told you it was a bad idea." Sokka believed as he stood up.

"Some guy got overly aggressive and tried to beat me up and ended up tripping over his own feet, but the principle thought I beat him up." Aang explained

"I'm not bailing you out of this one." Freya said instantly and Katara gapped

"What? Why do I have to?"

"I was apposed to him going all along, you're the ones who let him." Freya said stubbornly. She picked up the pile of books from a rock, took the book from Katara and placed it on the top, before folding the paper of her father up and putting it in her pocket. "Besides, I need to load these into Appa's saddle and go through the Fire bending ones. As soon as this school business is over, Aang and I are starting Fire bending practice.

The girl walked over to the Bison as Aang's expression dropped considerably.

"Right we're leaving." Sokka decided

"We can't." Aang thought.

"Aang we can't stay just for your excitement to stay in school." Katara believed

"Actually leaving might be worse." Toph said, confusing the siblings.

"If we leave now, the school will think something's up." Freya agreed as she jumped down from Appa's saddle. "It's better if we do go to that meeting."

"How? We don't have any parents." Katara reminded her

"Why don't you and Sokka just dress up and pretend to be Aang's parents?" Toph asked.

Everyone was silent.

"That sounds like a—"

"Great plan!" Aang grinned, interrupting Freya.

"No, I was gonna say terrible." Freya corrected "There's no way they can pass as old enough."

"Sure we can, we just need disguises." Sokka beamed at the idea and Katara rose an eyebrow as her brother grabbed her, grabbed Aang and rushed them from the cave.

Toph and Freya were silent.

"This is disastrous." Freya thought

"Yep." Toph agreed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Freya left the cave a second time for the day to buy some foods to make a soup, stocking up, before she returned to the cave to make some. She and Toph were eating it when Sokka, Aang and Katara returned. Sokka had a moustache and beard stuck to his face while Katara was wearing slightly different clothes with a bulge at her stomach and her hair tied up in two buns.

Freya stared at them as Sokka had his hand on Aang's shoulder before he sat him down and stood before him.

"Aang what were you thinking?" Katara began as she undid her hair and fixed her clothes.

"I wasn't, I was just being me." Aang admitted

"Like what?"

"Dancing, avoiding conflict," Aang listed

"Arguing with a teacher and something about mocking the national oath?" Sokka added

"What were you arguing with a teacher for?" Freya asked

"Well she set a pop quiz and said the Airbenders had a military." Aang shrugged. There was silence.

"Well like Sozin would admit he wiped them out in cold blood. He wanted the Nation on his side after all." Freya thought. "I don't know about this oath though…"

"It was about worshiping Fire Lord Ozai and the Nation." Aang admitted and Freya pulled a face.

"See these are the problems, of course you'll get in trouble when you know so little about how things work." she said looking at Sokka "Not a good idea. We can't have Aang getting into trouble and us constantly being called in."

"Well if it doesn't stop, Aang will be sent to the coal mines. Or reform school." Katara said.

"That settles it. No more school for you young man!" Sokka suddenly shouted at Aang, surprising Freya and Katara. His voice was deeper as if getting into the character of the beard, which he stroked as he stood up.

"I'm not ready to leave. I'm having fun for once, just being a normal kid. You don't know what it's like, Sokka. You get to be normal all the time." Aang said frowning as he stood up and walked over to Appa.

"Ha, ha." Toph mocked. Sokka scowled annoyed at her sitting on a rock beside him.

"Listen, guys, those kids at school are the future of the Fire Nation. If we wanna change this place for the better, we need to show them a little taste of freedom." Aang believed

"I can agree with that Aang, especially if it's all very structured and controlled. But we can't draw attention." Freya said

"And anyway, what could you possibly do for a country of depraved little fire monsters?" Sokka asked

"I'm gonna throw them…" Aang did a quick dance before he grinned. "… a secret dance party!" everyone stared at him surprised.

"Go to your room!" Sokka shouted pointing to the side annoyed.

"You wanna bring Fire Nation kids down here?" Freya asked shocked "Here?" she pointed at the boy's bison.

"We're not going to stay here anyway." Aang said "Besides, they're nice kids."

"Some of them are, you've been there two days, you haven't met most of them and not all of them will agree with suddenly changing the rules." Freya said

"Come on Freya, you know as well as I do, better even, about how this Nation's supposed to be. They're not supposed to grow up as soldiers and heartless monsters like Zhao or Zuko or Azula." Freya's eyes narrowed slightly and Katara looked at her worried but the girl ignored the comment.

"Yes, I'm aware, I don't like all this limitation and structure." she said "But Aang, if we win the war, we can change that later."

"But we can start now, instead of hiding out, let's help."

"What about laying low?" the two argued.

"Freya you're not going to talk him out of this." Toph believed. Freya turned back to Aang who grinned at her innocently and pleadingly. Katara sighed as well and Sokka threw his hands into the air, walking away. Freya huffed through her nose and smoke came out before she took a breath.

"Fine. But I doubt it'll go well." Freya said and Aang jumped up cheering.

"I'm gonna go tell everyone, you guys set up the cave."

"Set up?" Toph asked the boy

"We need a stage, and drinks, and seats." Aang listed. Freya sighed and no one had time to talk to him again as he turned and ran out of the cave with Momo following.

"You guys couldn't have backed me up on this could you." Freya said annoyed

"Well he does have a point." Katara shrugged. Freya scowled before she looked around the room.

"Well, we're gonna have to start with light." she grumbled before stalking out of the cave.

Toph proceeded to stamp round circles from the ground for tables and stools. Katara bent water into decorative table toppers as well as preparing beverages. Freya lit sticks on fire which Toph created holders for around the walls before the girl grabbed candles for the tables. Sokka arranged the candles as Freya lit them over the walls and tables as Aang came back.

"Well I spread the word, Toph can you create a bandstand?" he asked and several round pedestals rose to the ground as she stomped her foot and raised her arms.

"I can't believe we're having a dance party. It seems so… silly." Sokka thought as Aang tied his headband around his forehead and Sokka still had the beard attached to his face.

"Don't think of it as a dance party, but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork." Aang smiled before he started dancing

"Still sounds like a party." Freya shrugged.

"They're coming! Everyone stop bending!" Toph suddenly said as she seemed to pause, throwing her arms out. Everyone looked towards the entrance of the cave as Aang moved over to Appa.

"Sorry, buddy. You should probably wait out back." Aang pushed on Appa's leg and Appa grumbled as he shuffled into the tunnel at the back of the cave. "I know, you've got fancier feet than anybody… and six of 'em!" Aang turned back to the cave smiling.

Several of the kids moved to the bandstand and soon music was playing and the cave was filled with sound as the school students, all wearing the same uniform as Aang, stood in a large bundle, huddled close together, unsure what to do, in the cave. Freya watched them all as they looked at one another and didn't move, the music didn't seem to do anything for them.

Aang seemed not to notice as he jumped down in front of the band and flung his arms into the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, The Flamey-os!" he announced before he looked proud "Yeah, this ought to get everybody moving." he turned and noticed no one was moving.

"Now what do we do?" one asked through the awkwardness that had fallen the cave. He moved slightly through the crowd to the front of the crowd.

"This is when you start dancing." Aang said obviously

"I don't think my parents want me dancing in a cave." another said as he shrunk his head down to hide amongst the collar of his clothes.

"Yeah, what if someone finds out?" another looked around really anxiously and then scuttled off as if to hide.

"Oh, boy. Listen, guys… dancing isn't something you think about. It's a form of self-expression that no one can ever take away from you." Aang explained

"Maybe it was different in the colonies, Kuzon. But we don't do that here." another said, pushing forwards.

"What are you talking about?" Freya asked "The Fire Nation has always had traditional dances." she smiled and Aang nodded.

"You have for generations. It just so happens that I know several classic Fire Nation dances." Aang crouched down low, his knees bent, his arms out behind him and moved around in circles, keeping his balance and kicking his feet out in front of him. "A hundred years ago, this was known as 'The Phoenix Flight.'" Many of the students were impressed.

"And this was the 'Camelephant Strut'." Aang hopped from one foot to the other, passing his palms in front of his face. He summersaulted in the air and stood up rather close to a couple of girls, who giggled, before he jumped backwards, summersaulted, and landed balancing on one foot. He bowed his head and everyone began to clap amazed.

"Who knew Twinkletoes could dance?" Toph grinned before she took a swig of her drink. Aang ran up the wall and flipped backwards to land in a lunge on the floor. Katara smiled as she watched him.

Freya watched amused as Aang jumped over towards her and tugged her arm. She stepped forwards and he grinned as she began to move her feet.

 _Freya, small, stood within an igloo, her hands in her father's hands as he moved her around the room, the small girl standing on his toes as he waltzed around the room, Azure sitting and clapping happily as the man showed his daughter his traditional dances._

Aang joined in and the two moved around the cave grinning.

" _What dance is that?" Freya looked up to see Aang watching her on the deck of the Fire Nation ship. He was sitting on top of Appa as the bison sat on top of the deck._

" _It's a Fire Nation dance. My dad taught it to me when I was younger. It's usually conducted at weddings."_

" _I haven't seen that one before, how does it work?" Aang asked as he jumped down._

" _I'll show you."_

The crowd clapped at the two who grinned before they jumped and flipped through the air, landing where Aang flung his arms out and Freya spun around. Aang moved over to a pretty girl, her hair in a ponytail, and offered his hand to her. She blushed and took it before moving over to Freya.

"And this is how they do it in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se." The two circled their arms, stepping from side to side and the girl joined in.

"Wow, they look pretty good together." Sokka thought as Katara frowned slightly.

"Eh, if that's what you like." Katara said dismissively.

More of the students began to join in with the three and soon most of the students were moving.

"Yeah, that's it. That's the sound of happy feet." People smiled and turned to one another beginning to copy the dance before everyone was dancing in the cave. "All right, go with that. Everybody freestyle!" Kids all over the cave were moving, dancing, jumping, waving their limbs around and enjoying themselves as Aang moved over to Katara.

She looked up surprised as he held his hand out to her and frowned.

"I don't know, Aang. These shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I'm not sure that I know how to…" she nervously fiddled with her hair and Aang simply smiled.

"Take my hand." Katara looked up at his confident smile before she smiled herself.

"Okay." she agreed and took his hand.

Aang led her to the middle and whispered in her ear were she nodded. The two stood and faced one another, bowing, before they raised their hands together between them and began to circle one another. People began to stop to turn to the two as they spun and changed directions a few times.

"Aang, everyone's watching." Katara blushed as she glanced around.

"Don't worry about them. It's just you and me right now." Aang looked at her and she blushed as she stared into his eyes before looking confident.

They stopped circling and grabbed each other's hands, leaning backwards and then lounging past one another. They faced one another and began to incorporate bending stances into the dance as Aang waved his leg and Katara ducked under it. They spun around one another before linking their fingers and Aang pulled Katara past her. They spun around and leaned in close together before beginning to do some summersaults. They threw themselves around the circle before Katara spun out, Aang holding her hand, pulled her back in and dipped her.

The entire crowed cheered as the two breathed heavily, smiling at one another.

Freya took Katara's hand and she spun her around grinning before they shared a high five and everyone started dancing around the cave again. The music increased and the two benders grabbed some water before Aang grinned as he danced amongst everyone.

"This is incredible. It's like my inhibitions just disappeared." one said excitedly as he did a version of the sprinkler.

At the mouth of the cave a man with a beard, a long robe and grey hair appeared with several guards at his sides and a student a little ways behind him. People began to notice him and instantly they began to gasp and the dancing and music ended instantly.

"Okay. They're... back again."

Aang, still dancing, didn't notice his fellow students stop and the greying man spotted him easily.

"He's the one we want." Aang looked up surprised as the man pointed at him. "The boy with the headband!"

"Uh-oh!" the guards ran at Aang who instantly ducked and ran through the crowd of kids.

The guards ran after the boy as Freya grabbed Sokka and Toph followed them towards the back.

"What about Aang?" Katara asked as she joined him.

"Well we're not leaving without him but no one can follow him to Appa." Freya admitted.

One of the solders ran until they found a boy with his back to them and his sash tied as a headband around his head.

"Got ya!" he spun the boy around only it wasn't Aang.

"Looking for me?" he asked smiling.

"That's not the one! He's here somewhere. Don't let him leave the cave!" the headmaster instructed. The soldiers looked around at the scared students before spotting another person, their back turned, with a headband.

"Yes?" This time it was On Ji.

Two more boys were spotted and the female officer ran towards them but they weren't Aang either.

"Hi there. How we doing?"

The headmaster began to get very frustrated as he looked around before he spotted Aang through the crowd, the boy gasped and ducked the Headmaster ran forwards to grab the boy. He picked someone out of the crowd but it was a girl with pigtails.

"Looking for someone?" she asked.

All the students began to join in with the game, putting their sashes from their waists around their foreheads and circled the Headmaster. He looked at them all shocked and worried as he was surrounded. Two of his soldiers joined him.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Do you need something?"

"Over here."

Aang finally ran off towards Katara and Freya who were waiting for him as Sokka and Toph disappeared around the corner. The boy turned and one of the Fire Nation boys gave him a wink. Aang bowed to him as the girls disappeared before Aang followed. Behind him the tunnel from the cave suddenly closed over with earth bending and the boy gapped absolutely shocked.

The five climbed onto Appa's back as the light shone out from the exit of the cave and the bison launched into the air with the group.

"Well, that was interesting." Freya decided and Katara nodded as she glanced at the cave and Aang removed his headband.

"We're safe, Sokka. You can take off the moustache, now." Katara said to his brother.

"Oh, no, I can't. It's permanently glued to my skin. " he said smugly as he stroked it, clearly happy with this truth.

"For now." Freya mumbled to Toph who grinned evilly.

"Way to go, Dancy-pants. I think you really did help those kids. You taught them to be free." Toph believed

"I don't know. It was just a dance party, that's all." Aang shrugged as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You gave them a taste and that's what matters." Freya shrugged

"It was some dance party, Aang." Katara nodded in agreement and she moved forwards to kiss Aang on the cheek. Aang smiled, blushing as Sokka began to clap his hands.

"Flamey-o, sir. Flame-ee-o." Freya sighed.

"That's never going to go away is it." she mumbled, causing the others to chuckle.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Freya sat with a book in her hand as Appa waded through dirty water. There were cliffs on either side of the river and Sokka sat on the back of the saddle with a fishing pole in his hand and the line off the back of the bison.

Aang popped out of the water, swimming within it, dirt on his head.

"Momo!" he ducked back under as Momo flew towards him and then hovered confused. Aang appeared again behind the lemur. "Oh Momo!" he ducked again as Momo turned and flew towards him before appearing beside Appa again and the lemur jumped onto his head. "Ah! Ha ha, you found me, buddy." The boy looked at his nose as dirt and sludge fell down it from his hair. He airbended himself out of the water, it running all down his pants as he landed on Appa, who had the dirt through his fur, and with the three girls. He held his arms out beside him and looked at the sludge dropping off his body. "Hey guys, I think this river's polluted."

He waved his arms, took a breath and Freya waved her hand as he blew the sludge off his body and all over the other two girls, Freya bending the water in the sludge in order for it to avoid her and her book.

Toph spluttered as it got in her mouth and Katara looked over her clothes before air was blown over the two girls to remove the pollution.

"Well, that explains why I can't catch a fish around here. Because normally my fishing skills are... off the hook!" Sokka beamed as he raised the line and showed the hook with a little bit of sludge hanging off of it as Aang sat down and Katara looked at him frowning. Freya sighed, not looking up from her pages. "Get it? Like a fishing hook?" he asked but no one laughed.

"Too bad your skills aren't on the hook." Toph said with sass and everyone laughed as Sokka scowled.

"It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food." Katara thought before a sudden long scroll appeared before her, unrolling across the bison's back. "Assuming that'll fit into Sokka's master schedule." Sokka had the scroll in his hand as he looked at the other end and Katara watched him.

"You irritate me with that and I promise I'll burn it." Freya warned but Sokka didn't listen, reading the schedule.

"Hm… it's doable. But that means only two potty breaks today!" he warned

"Hey, maybe we can get food there." Aang suddenly pointed and as the bison moved through the polluted water the rock cliffs moved apart to suddenly expose a town.

"Well they've got to have something." Freya sighed as she closed her book.

"I'm surprised you've still got things to read." Sokka said to her as Aang moved to take Appa's reins.

"I got enough books to last me a little while. If that fits in with your master schedule." Freya muttered and Sokka looked both annoyed and confused, unsure how to feel. Appa rose from the water and moved over the polluted river, towards the land where there were a few mounds in which he could hide behind. Aang got dressed when they landed and they climbed off the bison before Aang found a heap of moss. He grabbed the end and leaped over the bison to pull the moss over him, leaving his horns poking out of the green. Momo dived at a little bit of moss on the ground and hid himself as well.

"Now you look just like a little hill with horns. Bye buddy!" Aang said before he ran off after the other four who were walking towards the river, Momo peeking out after him.

"I don't feel anything. Where is this village?" Toph asked as they looked down towards the town. It was a lattice of wooden veranda's in which houses and buildings sat on top of.

"It's in the middle of the river!" Sokka said pointing.

"Sure is!" the five looked down to see a man with white hair, a red hat on his head and a vest. He stood on a raft and a stick in his hands, one of which was bandaged. "My name's Dock. Mind if I ask who you are?"

"We're, um, from the Earth Kingdom colonies." Katara responded as Sokka looked worried for a second and the younger watertribe girl shared a look with Aang.

"Wow… colonials! Hop on; I'll give you a ride into town." Dock allowed.

The paddle in which Dock used was covered in the sludge as the group sat and Dock stood behind them.

"Why do you guys live on the river?" Katara wondered as Dock suddenly moved his paddle over their heads while Toph clung to Sokka.

"Because we're a fishing town. At least that's how it was before the factory moved in." Through the cliffs and built into the side of one was a giant factory. Smoke was billowing out of the top and sludge was coming out the bottom into the water. "Army makes their metal there. Moved in a few years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive." Katara and Aang shared a frown as Freya looked annoyed.

They approached the town in which little canoes littered the waters and small docks stuck out by the houses. Many sat on the decks and were lying around. It was quiet as Dock docked the boat and the four got out as Sokka helped Toph who hung onto his arm still.

"Thanks for the ride!" Aang waved and Dock waved after them.

The people who sat around the town were slumped all over the place, sitting and lying, hugging one another. Hardly anyone spoke and no one was smiling.

"Look at this place. It's so sad."

"Usually everyone is running around, kids laughing…" Freya nodded

"We have to do something to help." Katara believed

"No, we can't waste our time here!" Sokka said popping in beside her before continuing. "We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own!" and he turned to leave. Freya looked disappointed at Sokka's lack of concern as Katara walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"These people are starving, but you turn your back on them?! How can you be so cold and heartless?" she demanded

"I'm not turning my back, I'm just being realistic!" he returned as he waved his hands around "We can't go around helping every rinky-dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord!" he beamed before Toph slapped her hand over the boy's mouth.

"Hey, loudmouth! Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about _taking out the_ _Fire Lord_." she offered annoyed.

Sokka lowered his voice when he spoke next.

"Come on, Katara, be reasonable about this. You know our mission has to come first." he said as he moved Toph's hand. Katara did not look convinced but she did not argue.

"I guess so." Aang moved up behind her and smiled.

"Let's just get what we need and go." he decided. Katara smiled and Freya placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry…" she looked around "What would you even do?" Katara looked around before she turned and followed the older girl who followed the others. They eventually came to a store in which a set of jaws sat on the thatched roof. Standing behind the counter, with his back to them, was Dock. Only now, he wore a cream hat instead of a red one. Sokka hit the bell on the counter and he turned to them smiling.

"Hey, Dock. You work here too?" Sokka asked

"I'm not Dock, I'm Xu. Dock's my brother." he said and they all looked at him confused before Freya's face fell with a sigh.

"But we just saw you. You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat." Aang pointed

"Dock works on the docks, that's why they call him "Dock", and I work in the shop, that's why they call me "Xu"." the man pointed in explanation.

"I don't get it." Aang admitted

"Me neither." the man returned before he leaned down behind the counter.

"He's got multiple personalities." Freya mumbled to Aang and Sokka "Means he believes he's several people despite only being one. Best just to leave him to it, the polluted water has probably gotten to his head." the two boys shared a look as Freya stood straight and smiled as the man placed a crate on the counter. Inside it was rancid grey seafood.

"What can I getcha? Hey, I'll give you a special deal. If you buy three fish, I'll throw in a clam for free." Sokka reached in and poked one of the clams in which all the polluted sludge poured out of, causing him, Aang and Katara to retreat disgusted from staring into the crate.

"We'll just take the fish." Sokka decided picking two out of the crate. Xu took the fish and wrapped them up in paper. "Mind telling your brother we need a ride back to shore?" Sokka asked as Xu handed Katara the package. He then suddenly ducked down behind the dock and when he popped back up he had his red cap from earlier on.

"Hey, colonials. My brother says you need a lift." he jumped over the counter and began to walk off towards the dock. Sokka shrugged as the others shared a look and Freya was first to move off.

A boy ran up to them and touched Katara's arm, stopping her.

"Can you spare some food?" he asked. Katara opened the wrappings, crouching down, and handed him one of the fish.

"I wish I could help more." she said sadly. He bowed and ran back up a ramp to a platform in which a roof sat on top. A women was lying there in blankets and she patted the boy's shoulder as he showed her the food. She smiled as Katara watched them.

The younger water bender frowned and turned to see Freya watching her.

"We can't just leave these people." she said

"Well, like I said, what would you do?" Freya wondered and Katara looked around thinking before she walked past and after her brother. Freya sighed and with another glance she followed as well.

The sun fell and Freya and Katara collected some of the gunky polluted water while Sokka collected some wood. Aang uncovered Appa and collecting some supplies with Toph.

A fire was lit by Freya while Toph and Aang worked together to separate the muck and water from one another. Aang passed the water off to Katara, who put it into the pot in which Freya moved on top of the fire to heat up.

"Our detour into town today has completely thrown off our schedule. It's gonna take some serious finagling to get us back on track." Sokka complained as he walked around with the scroll in his hands. He took a small cup and scooped some water from the pot as he shook out the scroll.

"Finagle away, O schedule master." Toph said sarcastically. The four moved over to Sokka who laid the schedule out on the floor

"Well, for starters, it looks like we'll need to wake up forty-three minutes earlier every day." Sokka said. Freya looked up at the boy as she kneeled on the floor by the fire. She did not look happy.

"Forty- _three_ minutes?" Katara questioned as she gave the three a pot themselves to drink from.

"Look, we only have a few weeks to get to the Fire Lord in time for the invasion and the eclipse — which, by the way, only lasts for eight minutes." he dramatically pointed towards the end of the scroll. "And we just lost a whole day. So if we want to make up the time and stay on schedule, we have to wake up early!"

"Well, _I'm_ not waking up early." Toph decided as she lay down.

"I agree." Freya mumbled _Get too little amount of sleep as it is._

"Or we could just cut out all of our eating breaks." Sokka crossed his arms stubbornly.

"What?"

"No way."

"Forget it." the three disagreed as Toph sat back up.

"There's got to be an easier way Sokka, I'm sure one day isn't going to break us." Freya believed and Sokka thought before he grinned.

"I got it, how's this — From now on, we'll take food breaks and potty breaks at the _same time._ " he grinned

"Ew." Aang spat out his water.

"Hey, it might be gross, but it's efficient. Either way, we have to leave here first thing tomorrow morning." Sokka demanded as he picked up the schedule and walked away. Katara frowned and Freya rose an eyebrow at her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

The sun rose over the edge of the hills, the smoke rising from the factory down the river. Appa was lying on his side with Momo on top of him and Katara sat stroking the beasts belly. Freya, having gone for a morning walk, came to the campsite and saw Katara with Appa, looked at them confused. She walked over and looked at the bison's eyes, which were semi closed as he seemed tired, and Katara looked at her slightly worried. Aang, who was lying near the bison on a mound, sat up as the sun was rising to spot the two benders with the bison.

"What's the matter, Katara?" Aang asked as he jumped down beside Appa as Toph walked forwards rubbing her eyes.

"I think Appa's sick." Katara responded

"What, Appa's sick? That's awful!" Sokka who had been sleeping in the bison's saddle sprang up suddenly as the words awoke him. He ran forwards as Aang had a look at Appa like Freya and Katara.

"Wow, Sokka, I didn't realise you cared so much." Toph said as she rubbed her face.

"Of course I care. I might as well just throw our schedule away now." Sokka pulled the schedule from his vest looking over it.

All four turned to look at him angrily for his reasons of worrying. He stopped and instantly gripped to Appa's fur in nurturing.

"And I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well."

"He must have gotten sick from being in the polluted water." Toph thought as Appa breathed heavily.

"He doesn't look sick. You okay, buddy?" Aang asked confused as Toph kneeled on the ground. Appa opened his mouth to growl in response and his tongue was exposed. Unlike it's usual palish pink, it was now purple. "His tongue is purple!" Aang pulled it out and fell backwards as everyone looked at the wrongly coloured tongue. Freya rose an eyebrow. "That _can't_ be good. Katara, can you heal him?" Momo jumped down and began to lick the bison's purple tongue himself.

"It looks like he needs some medicine. Maybe we can find the right herbs in town." Katara said as Freya moved, running her hand over the bison's stomach. She rose an eyebrow as her hand glowed golden for a second. Aang grabbed Momo and pulled him off the bison.

Freya turned and Katara moved away from the older girl, avoiding her gaze as the boys and Toph headed for the dock. Katara quickly moved off after them and with another glance and pat on Appa's stomach Freya followed suspiciously.

Dock transported them across the lake and they moved over the walkways of the town towards Xu's shop again. Looking around there was a noticeable difference across the town compared to the previous day. People were walking and moving about while some were sitting with fishing rods, despite the water's polluted state. Kids ran around and chatter filled the air.

"Is it just me, or does this place seem different?" Toph asked as Sokka stopped to watch a guy heave himself across from one dock to another with a long pole stuck into the water.

"Yeah, are the people…happier?" Aang wondered and a kid ran past them bouncing a ball. Katara grinned as Sokka continued and they moved off towards the fish store.

"Hey, Xu, what's going on with everyone today?" Sokka asked as they reached him. The man was taking a sip of water before he grinned.

"Ah, something amazing happened last night. Food was delivered to our village by a mysterious and wonderful person… the Painted Lady."

"The Painted who now?" Katara asked

"The Painted Lady." He pulled out a small statuette of a lady and placed it on the counter. She was heavily draped and had elaborate face makeup with a very wide brimmed conical hat. "She's part of our town's lore. They say she's a river spirit who watches over our town in times of need. I always thought she was just a legend. Until now."

Freya rose an eyebrow as everyone turned to see the kids running around.

"See, we don't need to help these people, they already have someone to help them. All we need is medicine for our sick friend." Sokka said, turning from Katara to Xu.

"Medicine? Sorry, all the medicine we have goes to the factory. That's why there's so many sick people in our village." he frowned.

"Looks like we need to stay another night so Appa can rest." Katara said and Sokka sighed annoyed.

"I guess you're right. You got any more food to sell?" Xu ducked down for a second before rising with his hands up.

"Would you like the one-headed fish, or the two-headed fish?" he held them both up, gunk dripping from their mouths, and Sokka looked them over, thinking about it, before he grinned.

"Two-headed!" and he took it from the man. The others did not share his enthusiasm as he turned to them. "What? You get more for your money that way." Sokka believed as flies buzzed around the fish which Sokka waved in their faces. All four gasped annoyed as Toph grabbed her nose and Katara, Toph and Aang ran away as Freya turned to look over the town. Sokka quickly ran off after the others before Freya's name was called.

"Coming!"

Freya stayed with Appa and helped get him plenty of water as Sokka planned how they were going to make up the time of two lost days. Toph was very happy to lay about and do nothing but decided to give Aang some more instructions with his earth bending as Katara collected water and prepared the fish Sokka had bought, taking out the pollution as much as possible.

Freya looked Appa over as everyone curled down to bed.

The girl gasped and sprang into a sitting position, her hand went to her chest and gripped at her clothes as she seemed to be choking and she drew in heavy breaths. It was like she'd been drowning and she felt empty and that her breath and taken from her, she drew heavy breaths to try and regain the feeling of her lungs holding air.

Freya looked around, glancing over the camp, darkness had set in and everything was dark and deep. Aang was asleep opposite Toph and Sokka was curled in his sleeping bag. Katara's sleeping bag however was lumpy and the girl's brown hair could not be seen. Freya felt herself regaining control of herself, her heart slowing down and her breathing calming as she stared at Katara's sleeping bag. She didn't move until she felt calmer, relaxed. It had only been a dream.

She took a breath before taking in the sight of Katara's sleeping bag, it didn't look like Sokka's did. With a raised, suspicious, eyebrow, Freya moved over to Katara's sleeping bag and poked the lump within it, it was a lot softer then it should have been. Pulling the fabric apart, she saw a heap of leaves sitting within it to replace the body and the due bender sighed.

"How did I guess?" she whispered, shaking her head before she got to her feet and moved off away from the campsite and down towards the bank.

Freya stopped at the water's edge, looking it over as mist was lingering across the top of the polluted river's surface. It swirled and moved, getting thicker towards the town and most of the lattice buildings were hidden from sight by it. Freya stood with her arms crossed as it all picked up around the town and came shooting back towards her. She was covered in the airy water before she rose her hand, circling it, and the mist all swirled around her. A person stood on the waters edge with her and looked around surprised at the movements around them. There were ropes and clothes wrapped around their form and a bamboo hat, transparent cloth hanging from the brim, hiding the face. They turned to see Freya before beginning to move off quickly, running away as if in a panic, the hat pulled further down to hide the face.

"Katara." Freya said simply and the person came to a quick stop. She had her back to Freya who had turned to her from the water, before turning to her in defeat. Katara had red marks all over her face in patterns.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I'm not an idiot." Freya confessed "First off Appa has nothing more then a stomach ache. Second, I know how much you feel the need to help, and being a water bender, you can heal and travel to the village easily over night."

"I just… couldn't leave them." Katara muttered as she removed the hat from her head.

"I know, but Katara, what you're doing is only temporary." Freya admitted and Katara looked at her. "We can't stay here forever, you can give them food and heal them but they're just going to sink back to where they were when we leave." Katara frowned.

"Well, maybe while they're back on their feet they can figure that out." Katara said and Freya sighed and shook her head.

"Come on, we're going back to sleep before someone else discovers your deception. Can't believe you've been over feeding Appa." Freya mumbled

"It's not like he minds…" Katara mumbled and Freya shot her a look.

Appa was still unwell the following morning, much to Sokka's annoyance, and they moved back across the water to the village for more food for the night. Again the village was much happier than the day before and people ran around with decorations in their hands.

The group reached Xu's shop and Dock was there cleaning his mini Painted Lady Statue.

"Hi, Dock. Is Xu around?" Sokka asked

"Let me check…" Dock threw his cloth, walked out of the store, behind it, ducked down so they couldn't see him and jumped back up with his cream hat on to reenter the store. "Hey there! Back again, are ya?"

Toph walked forwards and shoved Sokka out of her way.

"We need more food. Our friend is still sick and we can't leave until he's better." she dumped some coins onto the counter and leaned against it. Xu he took the coins and put a plate of polluted clams in its place.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. Maybe if you guys are lucky, the Painted Lady will visit you in the night, and heal your friend." Sokka leaned down to look at the food as Doc took a sip from his water. The boy looked skeptical.

"And maybe she'll cook us a midnight snack, and we'll all have a sing-along." he said sarcastically, picking up the gross clams. Xu grinned.

"Yeah, may be! You know, last night she visited us again. Healed most of our sick folks."

"Is that why this place seems so festive?" Aang asked, turning to look at the town. People were cheering and raising a statue of the painted lady within the square, a child ran past with a colourful kite in his hand.

"Yep, it's all because of The Painted Lady." Xu admitted. Katara stood with her hands together before her and looking pleased and humble.

"Can you believe how much an entire village can be affected by one lady? I mean... spirit?" she corrected

"Well, I hope she returns every night. Otherwise this place would go right back to the way it was." Sokka said. Katara looked at him annoyed, her eyebrow twitching.

"Why would you say that? Look how much better off these people are." she smiled.

"Yeah, _now_ , but without her they wouldn't be able to fend for themselves. If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory." Freya sighed as Katara had her arms crossed stubbornly. Sokka rose his arms and waved his hands around. "Oooooo... pow." he smirked and crossed his arms proudly.

"Spirit magic doesn't work that way, Sokka. It's more like…" he wove his whole body as Katara turned to him annoyed. "Woooooo…." he looked proud as well. Katara however flung her arms and stalked off annoyed. Sokka moved to Aang and they placed an arm around one another to wiggle and wave their arms together.

"Wooooooo….."

"Katara." Freya moved off after her as she moved to stare at the factory. "Katara." she said again though this time fiercely.

"He's right." she said

"You shouldn't blow up the factory Katara."

"Why not!" she demanded

"Because it'll cause an upstart." Freya believed

"It doesn't matter, these people need their water back, and I'm the only one who's willing to help." Katara believed before she turned to the girl. "Unless you're willing to come?"

"Destroy a Fire Nation factory?" Freya asked and Katara nodded. "Katara, are you willing to deal with the consequences that will follow?"

"Yes."

"Do you even know what they might be?" Freya warned.

"It doesn't matter." Freya sighed and shook her head.

"Well I can't let you go by yourself regardless. But we are leaving tomorrow alright!" Freya pointed at her seriously and Katara nodded.

"Thanks Freya."

"Thank me once I've done something." Freya confessed "And if we get out of this without making an issue." she added.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

The two girls waited until everyone had fallen asleep that night before they moved from their sleeping spots. Katara placed a heap of leaves in her sleeping bag and grabbed the dark purple robe to throw over her Fire Nation clothes. She moved to a puddle and rose the water, icing it so she could see her reflection and put the paint on her face. She ran off towards the water and Momo began chattering as he saw her. He jumped down to follow, landing on Aang who was asleep on Appa's leg, and awoke the boy.

"What's the matter, buddy?" Aang asked as Momo stopped and stared off after Katara. "It's her!" Aang realised before he got up and, grabbing his headband, he started off after the girl. "Hello, Painted Lady spirit!" he wove his hand and Katara stopped in surprise. She glanced at him fleetingly before she grabbed her hood and hat and ran off towards the water.

There was a burst of air and Aang shot off after her. Katara climbed up a ridge and Aang ascended up after her.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you, but my friend's sick and we're on kind of a tight schedule." they ran down a bank, Aang calling after her and Katara continuing on. Katara reached the water's edge and the mist rose from around her as she went surfing over the liquid. "Wait, but I'm the great bridge between your world and mine." Aang looked frustrated as he jumped and small bits of water froze over for him to step onto, chasing after Katara and hopping across the water. "I know Hei Bai, we're close personal friends." They began to reach the village and while Katara continued along the water, Aang jumped across the lattice of wood peers. Katara jumped onto the wood and continued to run before she saw a shadow beside her and looked up. Aang was running along the roof top above her. "Heeeyy!" he waved before he ran straight into a pole. Katara jumped back down onto the water and moved to the land across from their camping spot. Katara moved behind a rock ledge and stopped, peering back at the village as she panted. She turned back with a sigh before Aang hung upside down in front of Katara, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"My name's Aang. I'm the Avatar." he moved his headband slightly to point at the arrow hidden beneath it as he smiled. He leaped over to stand before her on his feet. Katara pulled her hat down to cover her face and lowered her voice, not looking at him.

"Well, hello, Avatar. I wish I could talk, but I am very busy." she said

"Yeah, me too. I hate that." Aang muttered annoyed. He turned back to Katara and tried to peek at her face under the hat. "You know, you're really pretty for a spirit. I don't get to meet too many spirits, but the ones I do meet… not very attractive." Aang smiled at her and Katara chuckled nervously.

"Thank you, but…" Aang was staring at her suspiciously as Katara turned her face away.

"You seem familiar, too." Katara hunched her shoulders to bring the hat further down and Aang ducked to try and see under it.

"A lot of people say that." Katara answered

"No… you _really_ seem familiar."

"Look, I really should get going…" Katara pulled the hat even further down over her face and walked away from the avatar as he looked at her with scrutiny. He wove his hand and a heap of air shot at Katara and blew the hat off her head. Katara turned around, gasping to grab it and yanked it back down, turning her back on Aang and biting her lip, but the damage had already been done.

"Katara!?" Aang asked shocked. The girl's shoulder's slumped.

"Hi, Aang." Katara said defeated, turning to him.

" _You're_ the Painted Lady! But how?" Aang asked confused, pointing at her.

"I wasn't at first, I was just trying to help the village." Katara admitted as she removed the hat. "But since everyone thought that's who I was anyway… I guess I just kind of became her." she dropped the hat as she dropped her head and frowned. Aang looked at her thinking.

"So you've been sneaking out at night? Wait… is Appa even sick?" he asked, his hands on his hips.

"He… might be sick of the purple berries I've been feeding him, but, other than that, he's fine." she admitted

"I can't believe you lied to everyone so you could help these people." Aang said

"Are you really that surprised?" the two turned to see Freya sitting on one of the mounds, her chin in her hand and her elbow resting on her knee as she watched them.

"Freya!?" Aang asked

"Where have you been?" Katara demanded

"Waiting for you." Freya admitted as she jumped down. "Then I see you running around being chased by Aang."

"You didn't think to help?"

"What for? It's Aang not Sokka." Freya rolled her eyes

"Wait you knew?!" Aang asked Freya surprised

"Oh come on Aang, Katara wants to do something, Sokka says no and then Appa is suddenly sick?" Freya asked him, raising an eyebrow "You didn't find that suspicious? And then the village starts getting better?"

"So you both lied?" he asked

"No… more like, withheld the truth." Freya corrected thinking

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have." Katara frowned.

"No, I think it's great! You're like a secret hero." Aang suddenly grinned. The two girls shared a look as Katara smiled.

"Well, if you want to help… there's one more thing I have to do." Katara said and Aang looked at her questionably.

"What's that?" he asked and Freya waved her hand for him to follow her. The two did until they came around the corner and to the factory that was shooting out pollution into the water. They stopped to look at it.

"We're going to do some damage." Freya said

"You want to destroy this factory?" Aang asked as they looked up at it.

"Yes. Sokka was just kidding, but he was right. Getting rid of this factory is the only way to help these people permanently." Katara said.

The three ran inside and found mechanisms, hot metal, tubing and different buckets hanging from the sky. Freya stretched her arms out and twisted herself over the railing of the balcony while the two went sideways. Katara cut chains to drop the buckets and the hot metal went everywhere. Aang tipped one down into the mechanics of the factory, grinning. Freya waved her arms before fire went shooting out from her palms and several explosions went off from the excess heat.

Aang jumped down and glanced at the pipes around him before he slammed his hands down and a circle of earth rose, breaking the tubings and sending steam everywhere. He slammed it back down and dirt went flying with the steam. Freya moved to jump to one of the buckets and with a few movements she pointed one hand at the steaming, liquid metal and the other out to her other side, away from it. The heat drew to her fingers and then out her other arm and the metal began to harden as it was cooled, the heat being drawn away. Katara looked down at the metal and she pun, rose her hands and water shot into the room through the windows behind her. It poured over the hot lava as Freya moved it around to infiltrate the crooks and crevices before explosions rattled the building. The three jumped down and around until they ran back out of the building. Fire blew out from it with the explosions and the solution from the pipes stopped running into the water.

The sky was lighter now as the sun was rising, the three haired a high five before they made their way back to the campsite.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

"Ha ha!" Aang started making explosion noises as the three of them rounded the corner.

"Shhh, we don't want to wake Sokka." Freya stopped as they rounded the corner to find Toph and Sokka standing there waiting for them. The two jumped as they followed Freya's gaze.

"Hi! Sokka! We were just… out on a… morning walk!" Katara lied hopelessly.

"Oh, really? A morning walk?" both of them had their hands on their hips and Sokka had Katara's sleeping bag in his hand. He tipped it up for all the moss pieces to fall out to the ground. Katara and Aang frowned guiltily. "I know you're The Painted Lady. I know you've been sneaking out at night, and I know you've been lying about Appa and feeding him purplising tongue berries!" he stuck his tongue out as he spoke before pointing to Toph. Toph stuck her tongue out, which was now purple and held up a bag of the berries as evidence. Momo climbed onto her shoulder and ate a few himself.

"Well…" Freya said as she walked towards him. "Took you long enough." Sokka looked at her annoyed.

"Are you kidding me Freya!? You knew!?"

"Durr." Freya responded.

"What you did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We're leaving right now." Sokka crossed his arms and Katara bowed her head as she moved to walk past him. Aang followed and Sokka turned to him. "And how long did _you_ know about this?"

"Hey, I just found out this morning. Freya's the one who's known since the beginning." and he ran of innocently.

"Not apologising." she called back.

They began to pack up all their things before a buzzing noise reached their ears. Sokka turned as the noise caught all of their attentions. With a few shared glances they all walked to the ledge and then ducked down to crouch behind it as they saw several Fire Nation mobiles rushing through the polluted water towards the village.

"What's going on?" Toph asked as she joined them.

"Fire Nation soldiers are heading to the village." Aang admitted

"What did you do?!" Sokka demanded of Katara who had her eyes closed.

"I… kind of destroyed their factory." she admitted guiltily.

"You what?" he demanded

"It was your idea!"

"I was joking. I also said to use spirit magic and made funny noises." Katara frowned as Sokka slammed his hand into his forehead. "Did you even think this through? The army's gonna blame the villagers. They're headed there right now to get revenge."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" she asked

"Leave! Do nothing!" he responded and Katara turned her face down.

"No." she snapped at Sokka fiercely, surprising him. "I will never, _ever_ turn my back on people who need me." Freya stood to her feet.

"Katara, I told you you had to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions." Katara nodded and stood up as well, turning to her brother.

"I'm going down to the village, and I am gonna do whatever I can." she declared. Freya already turned and Katara followed the girl as Sokka watched them. He turned away back towards the water as Aang watched him before he got up and followed the two.

"Wait." he grabbed Katara's shoulder and turned her to him. "I'm coming too."

"I thought you didn't want to help." she said

"You need _me_ , and I will never turn my back on _you_." he promised

"Sokka. You really _do_ have a heart." she hugged him thankfully

"He really does have a heart, doesn't he?" Aang said, rubbing his eye as he was overcome. He turned to Toph and she bashed him before crossing her arms.

"Well then plan master, how should we do this?" Freya asked.

The five crossed down to the water's shore and looked over towards the village across from them as the soldiers parked at the jetty. The townspeople walked towards them, gathering around in curiosity and confusion.

"We can't draw attention to ourselves, so let's play this smart. Katara, you're going to be The Painted Lady again." Sokka strategised. "Toph can't help on the town so she'll help make the spirit noises."

"Spirit noises?" Freya asked

"Yeah to make it spooky." he grinned and she sighed. "Aang, you and Freya are to hide in the city and use your bending to give the spirit effect." he grinned. They all shared a look. "They wont know what hit em!"

"You're too enthusiastic with this." Freya sighed before they began to move, Katara to get dressed, Toph to grab a boulder, Aang grabbed Appa and Sokka grabbed a flute from the bison's saddle. Freya stood at the water's edge, beginning to create the fog from the water, moving it from the shore and slowly towards the town.

"I thought we could live as neighbours, in peace. But I guess I was wrong. You steal our food, our medicine… and then you destroy our factory." the Fire Nation General addressed the villagers who stared at him and his soldiers. He had a scar that moved from the left of his forehead across his nose and down to his right cheek.

"We didn't do any of that." Dock said popping out of the crowd. He moved and switched his hat to be Xu. "Yeah, the Painted Lady brought us food. She's the one that healed our sick, not your medicine." he pointed at him as several of the villagers looked grave, watching Xu.

"Oh, right, the mysterious Painted Lady did it." he rose a statue of the spirit and waved it, looking at the front. "And I suppose she drew the army emblem on your containers, too." he threw the small statue at one of the pots and it smashed into pieces, it's contents falling across the pier. The villagers gasped and looked worried. "This is a town of thieves and liars!" he waved his hand and a fire blast went soaring across the water to catch one of the huts on fire.

"Where's your Painted Lady now? We're going to cure the world of this wretched village." he decided as they looked at him fearfully.

The solders moved around on their mobiles and swung grappling hooks at the pillars beneath the houses. One of the houses went falling into the polluted water as the pillar was broken. The General moved towards the townspeople and two soldiers lit a flammable pot that sat on a boy in the water.

A gust of wind flew past and the fire was blown out. The soldiers looked confused and they relit the ball, but another gust of wind dispersed the flames again. The general was watching them annoyed.

"Light it again!" he ordered. The ball didn't even catch light this time.

"Look at that! Where's it coming from?" A heavy fog was moving in from the shore and covering the water, the sky and even the cliffs of the land.

"I don't know. Something strange is going on." There was a cooing noise across the wind and a growling noise followed it.

"It's The Painted Lady. _She's coming._ " a boy said grinning from amongst the crowd.

"There is no Painted Lady!" Crashes sounded through the fog, joining the growling and cooing as the fog fell over the deck and around the village.

Toph stood bashing a rock into the ground as Appa was in the cave with her, growling so that the sound carried around. Sokka blew on a flute to add to the mystery as he stood on the shore, covered by the fog.

"What is that _sound_?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Maybe it _is_ her." another offered.

The fog moved, parting slightly, and Katara, her head down so the top of her hat was exposed came into view across the lake. Katara rose her hands and she went shooting across the water, sending the polluted liquid all out behind her. She came straight for the village before leaping up and landing on the edge of the pier. She walked forwards to the soldiers and the General pushed one of his cowering soldiers forwards as they tried to back up.

"Do something!" he demanded. They pulled out their swords and moved towards Katara. Aang was clinging to the floorboards below the girl, hidden and looking through a crack as the soldiers approached. Freya was with him, lying on a frozen bit of water and staring upwards carefully.

Katara opened her eyes and looked at the two soldiers before wind blew up from below them and blew their hair upwards as their head pieces were blown off. The two soldiers cried out and turned to run off. Aang grinned and Freya smirked.

"Stand your ground!" the General ordered as the two head pieces smashed into the deck on either side of him. Katara walked forwards, over Aang and stared at the men for a moment. She swung her arms and one of the water mobiles went shooting up into the air by the force of jumping water. The men looked worried and backed away as Katara flung her hand forwards and the mobile went flying at the cliff wall, smashing and exploding in a burst of fire. She rose her hand towards the soldiers and they all flinched before turning and running to the only mobile's left. They zoomed away without a glance back at their general, who stood on the deck still. He however turned to Katara and waved his arms around.

"I'll take care of you myself." he decided. Freya took a breath and rose her hands as she glanced up through the fog. The man moved and fire went flying at Katara. Aang gapped and Freya moved her hands.

Aang took a deep breath and he blew Katara up into the air. Freya moved her hands and the shots of fire swirled around below Katara before they spread out and dispersed all together.

Aang then rose his hand and air went blasting through the wood towards the general and blew him off his feet with a cry. He skipped across the polluted water before splashing down into it.

Katara landed and watched as he resurfaced. He turned around, looking panicked before Katara suddenly emerged from the water, standing on top of it with her arms out beside her.

"Leave this village and never come back." she ordered. She lowered her hands and the man turned, swimming away before a soldier moved towards him on a mobile. The man climbed on and the machines went whizzing away across the waters.

Toph and Sokka came across the water in a boat towards the village as Freya and Aang got up onto the decks. The towns people were cheering and clapping as Katara shot out for the water and landed back down before them all.

"I knew you'd come." the boy smiled at her.

"Thank you!" Dock walked towards the girl.

"Painted Lady, you're the best!"

"Me and my brothers really owe you a lot." Dock continued before he looked at Katara. He looked surprised as he noticed her face. "Hey, wait a minute! I know you! You're not The Painted Lady, you're that colonial girl!" he pointed. The paint on Katara's face was patchy and had been brushed off in places. She reached up to touch it and found the paint on her fingers.

"Yeah, you're the lady that gave me a fish." the boy realised.

"You've been tricking us. You're a waterbender!" Dock realised.

"She's a waterbender! How dare you act like our Painted Lady?" they crowd got angry now and they advanced towards her before Sokka ran forwards quickly to get between them and his sister.

"Maybe she is a waterbender, but she was just trying to help you." he snapped "Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river, and the army is gone. You should be down on your knees thanking her." he snapped.

"Sokka, it's okay." Katara assured and she put a hand on his shoulder, walked around him and took off her hat as she turned to the villagers before her. "I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't, and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if The Painted Lady is real or not. Because your problems are real, and this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself." she advised.

"She's right, but what should we do?" Dock wondered.

Toph poked her head out of the crowd and spoke in a deeper voice than her own.

"Maybe we can clean the river." she offered.

"Yeah, we can clean the river!" Dock agreed before the town began to cheer and agreed with the idea. "Thank you. You know, you're not so bad for a waterbender." he complimented.

"What?" Freya mumbled an eyebrow raised in confusion. "That's a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one." Aang chuckled beside her.

"You wouldn't mind keeping that a secret, by the way, would you?" Sokka asked Dock.

"No problem. Keeping my mouth shut is a personal specialty. My brother Xu, on the other hand, hoo! He's a blabbermouth." Dock said. Sokka hit his forehead annoyed, leaving a red spot.

"So, Dock, are you gonna help us clean?" Katara asked.

"No, ma'am. I'm going to get my other brother, Bushi. He loves cleaning rivers." Dock grabbed his hat and pulled it off to reveal a balled up hat. It expanded into a bamboo shade hat as he grinned. "Alright, I'm Bushi! Let's get some river cleaning done."

"Aha, I knew it! I knew you were the same guy. You're the shop owner _and_ the boat guy." Aang said pointing, counting and grinning with satisfaction. Katara and Sokka were staring at the man gapping.

"Oh, you must be talking about my brothers, Dock and Xu." Bushi said.

"No, I just saw you! You switched hats and called yourself a different name!" Aang said exasperatedly

"Oh, you know who does that? My brother Dock." he leaned closer to the boy and began to whisper. "He's crazy." he started laughing and Aang looked infuriated as Sokka stared incredulously.

"Let's just leave it." Freya muttered with a sigh. "Come on, we've got water to clean." she said and she followed the townsmen.

Boats were put out into the water and the townsman had mops and sheets in which to absorb the thick gunk while the water moved through it. Freya and Katara rose water from the river as Aang and Toph pulled the gunk out and put it into a giant bowl behind them, cleaning quickly and effectively. The boats moved all around the river until it was clean all around the town and the blue crystal water began to spread from there outwards.

"Well I'd say that's a job well done, and now, can we go?" Freya asked. The others chuckled at her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

The sky was dark and filled with stars. The five children lay on a hill, where there was a small hut built into it. Appa was inside it, his tail out the window and his head out the door as the group all sat on it's roof. Stars were moving and shooting across the sky, in which the children were all watching them as they fell through the sky.

"Wow, this is amazing to watch." Katara smiled admiringly.

"Kind of makes you realise how insignificant we are." Sokka greed as he and Toph had their hands behind their heads.

"Eh, you've seen nothing once, you've seen it 1,000 times." Toph shrugged.

There was a sparking in the sky and one of the falling stars got bigger as it shot towards them.

"Oh, man. You've never _not_ seen anything like this." Sokka said as he sat up and the other's oo'ed. Katara, Aang and Freya all sat up as well, Momo on Aang's shoulder, as the star glowed blue with fire and soared right over their heads. They all ducked and Appa growled slightly before they turned and watched as it crashed into the ground. They all shied away as the ground shook and an explosion of blue shot from the crash site. Toph got up, having felt the crash and they all watched as the light of fire and smoke billowed from behind the valley.

"Let's go take a look!" Freya decided and they got off the roof, hopped onto Appa who was moved from the hut and launched into the air. Aang sat on the bison's head and they found the burning crater. A creak ran past and the hole was huge. Despite the light of the fire and the thickness of the smoke, in the distance the five could see lights from a town.

"The fire is gonna destroy that town." Katara believed as Appa flew around and landed beside the hot mess.

"Not if we can stop it." Aang believed and they all jumped down from the bison besides Katara, who moved to the bison's head.

"There's a creek over here. I'll bend the water on to the fire." she said as she grabbed the reins and flicked them. Appa got up as Sokka pulled out his mallet.

"Toph, let's make a trench to keep the fire from coming any closer." Aang decided and the two ran forwards.

"I'm going to try and pull as much as the fire off as possibly." Freya said and she moved off right towards the fire. Sokka jumped his mallet up and down in his hand thinking.

"What should I do?" he asked. Momo flew past Aang as he and Toph turned to the boy.

"Keep an eye on Momo." Aang decided, pointing after him and he and Toph ran after Freya who waved her hands and dove straight into the flames.

"So what, I'm just a lemur-sitter?" Sokka demanded, disappointed. Momo flew down and landed on the boy's head. Sokka reached up and pet him. "There, there. Feel better?"

Aang and Toph swung their arms downwards and a crack ran through the ground beside them and before the flames. They flung both arms down and the earth tumbled away towards the fire, pushing it backwards. Embers flew everywhere and Sokka looked worried as they landed all around him. He grabbed his machete and bashed at one on the ground as Momo jumped from his shoulder and extinguished all the others. Sokka put out his flames and turned to do the next one before finding it was done. He looked at the Lemur annoyed as he jumped back onto Sokka's shoulder.

Freya swirled her hands around an the fire began to pull towards her, making her visible to Aang and Toph. The fire was balling up above her head as she stepped through her stances and the grass stopped burning.

Katara flew over the creak and drew up a heap of water. She stood in Appa's saddle, waving her arms to keep the water bubble above the two of them as Appa returned to the others. He flew over the fires and Katara lowered her hands to have water wash down and spray over the flames, dousing them. Sokka stood, Momo beside him, watching his sister.

Toph moved her hands and blocks of earth folded out and tumbled across the fire, extinguishing it as she moved along beside it. Sokka sat down beside Momo watching her as the fires before him were gone.

Freya had a giant ball above her as streams of fire were being pulled towards it and she turned to the ball before her. She moved her hands and the ball spun around itself, moving quickly. The spinning remove the air and created a vacuum, the ball got smaller and smaller, unable to burn, before it was doused completely.

Katara flew over Aang and he took the rest of the water from her.

"Sokka, stand clear." the avatar warned as he wove the water around him.

"Right, stand clear. Got it." he said unenthusiastically and with disappointment. He picked up the lemur and slumped away from his spot. Aang swung the water around him, took a deep breath and with a throw of his hands and a gust of wind from his mouth the two elements went flying towards the fire. Sokka turned and gasped as it ran straight at him and Momo took flight out of the way. The dome of water moved out and expanded until it exploded over the entire crater was doused in snow. Aang turned as he brushed his hands together, the two girls walking up behind him and Appa landing with Katara.

"Good work, everybody." Aang smiled while Sokka popped out of a mound of snow still looking defeated. Momo went sliding across some ice behind him and he just watched the animal.

"A workout before bed is always appreciated." Freya said as she stretched. "And now we know where we can get some breakfast tomorrow." she smiled and the others nodded.

"So, hit the hay for the moment?" Aang offered and the other's agreed, all accept Sokka who was pulling himself out of the snow.

The sun rose and the group moved off along the river and towards the town. The water had cut into the earth and several boiling waterfalls poured from it and into the stream. The houses sat on the uneven ground along it, moving up the sloping land. One, very elaborate and large, house sat up away from the others, over looking the town, before there was one other building a fair ways away and sitting on a peak that over looked the town and the stream. The walls of the buildings were a pale pink and the roofs were all red.

The five had moved off to get some breakfast and Aang walked over to their table with his tray as he glanced around at all those around them. He sat with Freya, Katara and Toph at the table.

"These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night." he confessed

"Yeah, the worst thing about being in disguise is we don't get the hero worship anymore. I miss the love." Toph sighed as she ate a dumpling.

"Boo-hoo, poor heroes." Sokka responded, he was sitting behind Freya and overlooking the town, his steaming food beside him and untouched.

"What's your problem? You haven't even touched your smoked sea slug." Katara noticed as the four turned to him. His shoulders were slouched and he was hunched over himself.

"Seems to be sulking about something." Freya said with a raised eyebrow. "Are you alright Sokka?" she wondered

"It's just… all you guys can do this awesome bending stuff like putting out forest fires, and flying around, and making other stuff fly around. I can't fly around, okay…" he hunched in on himself even further, sadly. "I can't do anything."

"What are you talking about?" Freya questioned

"That's not true." Katara believed

"Just cause you can't bend doesn't mean you're useless." Freya said

"No one can read a map like you." Katara agreed.

"I can't read at all." Toph reminded them

"Yeah, and who keeps us laughing with sarcastic comments all the time I mean, look at Katara's hair, right," he grabbed a lock of it. "What's up with that?" Katara looked worried and grabbed her hair.

"What? What's wrong with my hair?" she looked around nervously and tried to cover it so other's couldn't see.

"That's not a sarcastic comment." Freya said

"Nothing, I was just trying to…" Aang was trying to apologise to the girl who blushed.

"Look, I appreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is _so_ amazing and _so_ special, and I'm not. I'm just the guy in the group who's regular." Sokka sighed.

"You? Sokka? Regular?" Freya asked in disbelief. Katara got up and sat down beside her brother.

"I'm sorry you're feeling so down, but I hope you know none of us see you that way."

"Let's be honest, we'd never get anywhere without Sokka." Freya said "He's the one who found out about the eclipse, he's the one who got us out of Ba Sing Se, he's the one who got the ship commandeered. He's the reason we made it to the North pole… do I have to go on?" she asked as Aang and Toph nodded in agreement with the girl.

Sokka it seemed didn't feel any improvement.

"I know something that's gonna make you feel better." Katara knew.

"You do?" he asked, slightly hopeful.

The five of them stood in a weapons store and Sokka was beaming at everything.

"Shopping!" the boy clapped his hands together before he ran into the room and looked along a shelf. "Maybe a little something to reinvigorate my battling." he grinned thinking. He reached and pulled up a nunchuck. "Hey, how about these?" he waved them around his body, moving each pole from one hand to the other as Toph stood behind him. "Ho-ya! Smack-a-dacka-doo!" He spun the weapon around ecstatically until he hit himself in the head with it and toppled backwards, pulling down a few spears and weapons with him.

Katara was pulling on a set of gloves to her hands, admiring them before Aang spoke from behind her.

"What do you think?" she turned and found Aang standing in a heap of armour, giant horns on its head and a huge crab like claw on its left arm with a skull at the shoulder, chains dropped over the right, and a light from a window above shone off of one of the horns. Katara looked at him incredulously. "Pretty slick, huh? All I need to complete the outfit is a wind sword." he said as she walked towards him and rose her hand at the shine on the horn.

"What's a wind sword?" she asked

"It's where I get a sword handle. And then I just swing this around and bend air out like a blade." he explained as he rose his arm and a blade handle. He made swishing noises as he moved his hand.

"Yeah… nice." Katara said as Freya walked over. She nudged the boy's shoulder and he toppled over backwards with a cry. Katara tried to grab him and jumped as he landed with a crash, the armour all clattering across the floor.

"Only buy it if you can use it." Freya advised.

"I'll just stick to what I got." Aang decided and Freya nodded.

Sokka had a spear in his hand which he played with and swung around before he twirled it above his head and it went spinning upwards out of his hands.

Next he tried a stone club which he dragged across the floor, unable to lift it. He pulled on the handle until his hands slipped and he went flying backwards.

Next he got a pair of duo swords and he chopped them downwards as he marched.

He grabbed a chain, which he spun above his head until it lowered down and wrapped all around him, tying himself up and causing him to topple sideways.

He had a very long spear with a tiny arrow head on the end which bounced up and down on it's long wooden handle.

Last he picked up a sai and picked at his teeth with the end. He paused as something caught his eye and turned to a wall where there was a glass case. Within it was a sword, an intricate handle and decorated gold, bronze and silver sheath, dragon patterns upon it.

"Ooo." he walked up and slid his hand along the sheath, eying it. "That's what Sokka's talking about."

"You have a good eye." he turned as the shop keeper walked towards him with a broom. "That's an original from Piandao, the greatest sword master and sword maker in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here." Freya, Aang, Katara and Toph walked towards the boy as the Shop keeper walked away.

"That's it. That's what you needed all along, Sokka." Aang realised

"A sword?" Sokka asked

"Not the sword… a master." Aang elaborated as Sokka pulled the sword off of the rack. "We've all had masters to help us get better. You should see if you can study with Piandao."

"That's a great idea. I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Pakku. Everyone needs a teacher." Katara believed

"I learned from badger moles. They don't talk, but they're still good teachers." Toph said as Sokka pulled the silver blade from the sheath.

"I'm no different, I'd never be where I am without my parents, Pakku and Iroh." Freya smiled nodding.

"It would be nice to be a master swordfighter. All right, I'll talk to him." Sokka said as he looked at the sword.

"And it'll stop you from being 'regular'." Freya said, her fingers up in quotation marks.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Freya, Toph, Katara and Aang were all lying on the floor, their heads up towards one anther as they stared at the sky above them.

"What should we do today?" Aang asked, he had his arms out on either side of him.

"I'm tapped out. I already picked my toes, twice." Toph said, her arms were up above her head.

"Twice?" Aang asked as Momo ran towards them and then collapsed onto his side and skidded along the dirt to join them.

"The first time was for cleaning, but the second time's just for the _sweet_ picking sensation." Toph said as she wriggled her toes.

"Sokka's been in charge of the schedule. I'm not sure what we should be doing." Katara admitted.

"Plus, it's so hot today." Toph added as she picked her nose.

"How hot is it?" Aang asked looking at her.

"I don't know. Real hot?" Toph offered, not catching on. Aang frowned.

"It's so hot, it's so hot... Momo is shedding like Appa." Katara offered as she turned and stroked Momo, the fur flying from her hand. "Huh, huh?" Aang rubbed his hair.

"I guess the jokes don't run in the family." Aang muttered, turning away from her.

"Oh, everyone's a critic." Katara complained before Appa growled.

"It's so hot we might as well be on the sun." Freya said as she sat up.

"I thought the heat didn't bother you?" Toph said.

"It doesn't." she thought "I just found something we can do today." she smiled

"What?" Aang asked

"Firebending training." she grinned and Aang flinched, looking worried. "We can start by regulating heat control if you'd like, keep it simple so you don't do anything dangerous."

"Heat control?" Katara asked

"It's how I stay cool even in this sun. It's also how we freeze water." she smiled at Aang.

"Uh… I don't know."

"Aang, there's no fire involved."

"What if I do something though?" he asked

"You're supposed to." she said

"What if someone get's hurt?"

"They wont, we're skilled enough to block a little fire you throw at us." Freya assured as she stood up.

"I dunno Freya."

"I'm gonna make you do it, you need to at least be able to disperse flames, makes it a lot easier than dodging and intercepting." she warned.

"But I haven't finished Earth bending yet!?" he tried

"You started earth bending before you finished water so don't give me that." Freya snapped. Toph and Katara watched the two. "You need to do it eventually, don't you think it'd be better to do so with me than a stranger, who wont be patient with you?" she offered. "You might find you get a teacher who will come at you like a firebender." she snapped.

"What's that like?"

"Firebenders, like earth benders, are front on. They come at you head strong. They're the opposite to water benders as everything they have is offensive, you don't find many defensive moves in fire bending." Freya explained

"But I've seen you defend heaps of times?" Katara admitted

"But you're forgetting I'm a water bender too. Iroh said I'd incorporated the two to make them work for me in both ways, fire in defence and water in offence." she shrugged. "Makes my bending unique."

"Another reason to let Freya teach you, she can teach you how to combine your elements together." Toph said to Aang.

"He did rather well the other night against the meteor." Freya said thinking. "But combining your movements and not just your elements, is rather beneficial I've found, like erasing weaknesses between elements. Water's lack of offence and Fire's lack of defence." she shrugged. Aang frowned, biting his lip.

"I don't think I'm ready yet Freya." Aang said

"Oh? And what's 'ready'?" she asked.

"Well… you see… it's just…" Aang stuttered trying to create an excuse.

"You're just scared of fire." she responded simply. "It's nothing to do with ready, because I can tell you you've done well enough in earth and water that you are ready."

Aang looked at Katara for help but she merely shrugged.

"Come on, get up, I'll at least teach you the basic stances, you don't need to actually produce fire."

"What if I do?"

"You can move away from us." Freya said simply "You realise you could have crushed us all with earth bending and drowned us with water right?" she muttered as she stood up and Aang, reluctantly did too.

"Remember Aang, fire isn't destruction, it's life, it's energy. There's a reason fire benders can create lightning, it's all to do with energy, not pain or sorrow. The reason fire is so badly misunderstood if because of the Fire Nation and the war. The children, as we saw, have been kept from fun and freedom and turned emotionless. They've learned to harness anger and that's how fire benders create their fire, from their emotions. A fire benders inner fire comes from their drive." she explained as he faced her. "Determination Aang. Anger is what causes uncontrollable fire."

"Which is why you lost it in the desert." he remembered and she nodded.

"Fire and water especially connect to emotions, Katara's used to always manifest due to her emotions before she was taught by Pakku. And my fire is still a little underdeveloped. That's why it also went off in the catacombs." she admitted "But both times I was able to rein it back in because of control. Respect and accept that it's a part of you." Freya smiled as she stood under the sun. "Remember Aang, the sun is just a giant fire ball, but does it destroy us all?" Aang shook his head and she smiled.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot." He agreed.

Freya grinned before she moved towards him.

"Okay. Jeong-Jeong got you to feel the heat, and feel your breath, you already know meditation. All of these are important, finding your inner fire is what gives you control." Aang nodded as she placed her hands over his eyes. "But the sun isn't the only heat source, there's also people, each person's body gives off warmth. So do animals, and of course fires." she said "Today's a good day to ask you if you can feel the heat from the sun."

"As if he couldn't." Toph muttered.

"I assume you can also feel the heat on my hand." Aang nodded.

"Your inner fire can help to fuel you and heat you when you need it, for example in the cold." she said as she removed her hands.

"Is that how Zuko did it?" Aang asked. Katara looked up surprised and Freya paused as she was walking around to stand back before him. The younger water bender watched Freya as she took a breath. The question had, if she admitted it, crept up on her, but now that she thought about it, she'd set herself up for it. She rolled her lips before looked at him him and smiled. She ignored the ache that the name put in her chest and how her breath wanted to stay caught in her throat, and stop her from being able to speak.

"Yes." she said before swallowing "He used his inner fire to stay warm after swimming through the freezing water to get into the city." she sentence was a little broken up as she forced the words through her mouth and tried not to let the images come to her mind. Every time she was reminded of him, she was reminded of his actions in the catacombs, and with that, came the pain. She had enough trouble with the memories continuously replaying in her dreams and taking up her sleep, without needing reminding during the day too.

"The same thing can be done in reverse." Freya continued. "You pull your inner fire into your centre, sort of like cooling yourself from the inside." she explained, moving past her previous feeling and mind track, the ache in her chest. Katara was still watching her as she took a breath.

"I want you to close your eyes Aang, and for the moment, focus on your heartbeat." she said. Aang closed his eyes. "Fire moves and flickers just like your heartbeat does." she whispered. Aang smiled gently and placed a hand over his heart.

"Freya, is fire really that gentle?" he asked

"Would you like to find out?" she responded. Aang looked at her and Freya rose her hands. A flame arose in her hands and Aang looked at it. Freya closed her eyes and Aang watched as it rose as she breathed in and shrunk as she breathed out. The white flame began to turn yellow and the flame flickered simply.

"You changed it's colour." Aang grinned

"Well, a yellow flame is the calmest." she said simply and she held her hands forwards. Aang didn't look confident.

"All you need to do is hold your hands out, trust me." Freya said "If things go wrong, I can instantly disperse it." she promised. Aang bit his lip and nodded before he put his hands below her's. Freya moved her hands and Aang had his eyes squinted shut. She watched slightly amused as his face began to change.

"He's not doing anything?" Toph said

"He doesn't have to, he's just feeling it." Freya admitted as she walked over to the two girls. Aang stood and stared at the fire in his hands. "He's never really thought about fire, last time he was just excited about the tricks he could do and he had no discipline. Now he has too much discipline and needs to feel the calmness within a flame." she explained

"Your quelling his fears." Katara smiled

"Well, I'm not going to force him into bending until he feels a little more confident and if you ask me this is the best place to start." she said shrugging. "He can't beat the Fire Lord without fire bending, we need to be ready for everything, and that includes failure at the invasion."

"What do we even do if that happens?"

"Go back to learning the elements and defeating the Fire Lord by Summer I guess."

"Is there much point?" Toph wondered "What with Ba Sing Se having fallen."

"I don't think we can give up because of that, but you have a point. And if Aang's not ready then we'll cross that bridge when it happens. Until then, we just have to work to make the invasion a success."

"For that we need Sokka." Toph sighed.

"Freya!" Aang turned to her and the fire vanished as he did

"Yes?"

"I held the fire without hurting someone." he grinned

"You did, what else do you notice right now?" she asked. Aang looked down at his hands before he looked surprised and looked around him.

"It's gone!"

"Yes, do you know why?"

"No?"

"You dropped her hands, you no longer gave it life or purpose. It dispersed. Died."

"It vanished?"

"It was in the air Aang, it had no where to go. There was nothing to burn and so it vanished by burning itself out." she shrugged.

"Wait, I lost control and it vanished?" she shrugged

"But, it wont always be like that." she warned. "It wont always be so easy, fire can be dangerous when underestimated and used inappropriately." Freya made sure he understood and Aang nodded.

"That's enough for today." she decided and Aang looked surprised. "We don't want to over do it after all." she chuckled.

"Maybe we should work out what we're doing next." Katara said as she laid out a map.

She stared down at it for a minute and Aang sat opposite her as Freya watched over them both.

"So where are we going next?" Katara mumbled, confused as she looked at the map. "We're starting from here." she said pointing at the map.

"No, we're over on this island." Aang corrected, pointing east of Katara's south.

Toph lay down beside them with her hands behind her head. "You noodle-brains don't know what you're doing. I miss Sokka." she sighed.

"Ooh, I got one. If you miss him so much, why don't you marry him?" Katara said before she grinned and looked at them waiting.

Toph turned over away from her and Katara looked surprised by the reaction. Freya just stared at her plainly as Katara turned to Aang who looked no different. She looked annoyed as a bug flew past their faces. Aang watched it before he blew a gust of wind and shot it away.

"How about we start thinking about dinner?" Freya offered. "Sokka should be back soon."

The two shared a look.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Katara, Aang and Toph all fell asleep over the map, Katara with her hair sprayed over it, Aang with his head on his knees and Toph on the ground. Freya had a book in her hands and was leaning on Appa's legs as the bison also slept.

"Sokka's coming!" Toph suddenly snapped up into a sitting position, a grin on her face. Aang and Katara snapped up in the same manner, beaming as they turned. Sokka walked up the ridge towards them wearing a deep brown robe.

"Hey, guys. What are you doing?" he wondered casually. Toph, Katara and Aang ran up to the boy and tackled him with a hug.

"Sokka!" Aang exclaimed happily.

"You're back." Toph said

"We missed you so much." Katara admitted

"Don't know why it's hardly even been a day." Freya mumbled as she turned the page in her book.

"Say something funny." Aang demanded, stepping back from the boy expectantly.

"Funny how?" Sokka asked and both Aang and Katara started laughing.

"What's their deal?" Sokka asked Toph as Freya eyed the two.

"I don't know."

"It's called desperation." Freya mumbled

"They missed you or something. I didn't care." Toph turned away and smiled as a blush moved over her cheeks.

"They've been bored without you. Turns out their useless unless your facilitating our day-to-day activities." Freya admitted.

"Thanks. That warms my heart. Anyway, I need some help." Sokka admitted and Freya looked up from her book as he asked. Katara and Aang stopped laughing and Freya stood, walking over to them as Sokka grinned.

"Remember that meteor? I want to use it." Sokka admitted

"What for?" Aang asked

"My sword."

"What sword?" Katara wondered

"You're making a sword?" Freya asked

"Master Piandao said I'm ready for my own." Sokka said "I want to use the meteor from last night, but I need help getting it to his place."

"We'll do it." the three chorused.

"I think they're keen for something to do." Freya said and Sokka nodded awkwardly.

The five moved back to the crater from the night before and sitting right in the centre was a ball of black rock. With Toph and Aang's earth bending they managed to get it out of the hole.

Aang, Freya, Sokka and Katara guided the rock and Toph moved behind them, earth bending it up the hill towards the house that sat much apart from the others. It was designed slightly different in that its walls were white with red roofing. A gate sat before them, red and with a knocker on each door. It had a golden circle and carved into it was a flower. Freya rose an eyebrow as she noticed it was a lotus. In the middle of this was the Fire Nation insignia.

When they reached the door Sokka moved quickly and grabbed the two knockers. He banged them both repeatedly until the door opened. Standing there was a tall, slightly thin man, with greying black hair pulled back, a similar robe to the one Sokka wore, his beard and moustache joining and the same colour as his hair. He had a sword in his hand, sheathed, and leaning against his shoulder, the other hand behind his back.

Sokka jumped back from the door as it opened and this man walked towards him.

"Who's this?" he asked as he looked at the four newcomers

"Oh, these are my friends. Just other good Fire Nation folks." he added nervously as Piandao bowed to the children as Freya, Katara and Aang bowed to him. "Do you think we can make a sword out of a meteorite?" Sokka wondered.

The swords master placed a hand on the rock.

"We'll make a sword unlike any other in the world." he agreed.

They marched the rock inside and found the cilm as Piandao had his own. A fire was lit and coal was shovelled into the cilm by Sokka. Piandao stood by the meteor and his handyman brought a sledge hammer. Sokka held a chisel and flinched every time the sledge hammer hit it, beginning to chip away at the meteor. Once they'd dug into the rock Sokka began to chip off small pieces which rolled to the floor. The pieces were collected and placed in a bucket which is taken to the forge as Sokka worked at the bellows.

Aang, Katara and Freya peered at Sokka, who'd removed most of his clothes as he worked by the fire in the hot day. He remained determined and worked hard on his sword as the bucket went into the fire and the heat was to melt the meteor.

Sokka sat by it and he watched the fire, getting up and adding more coal so that it remained hot and didn't go out. He worked into the night even after the sun had set. Piandao watched him as he worked, hardly resting but working diligently.

The bucket was removed from the heat when the meteor fragments had melted and Sokka moved it over to a mould of a sword blade. He tipped the hot liquid in and it sizzled as it touched the cooler stone.

The rock hardened and with a pair of tongs it was removed. Piandao took a a hammer and shaped the hot metal against stone, raising it to his face to examine. Sokka stood behind him and beamed excitedly at the hot metal. The sword was placed in a bucket of water and the water bubbled and boiled around the hot substance, cooling it down. The glowing red vanished to show a black blade.

Freya, Katara, Toph and Aang sat in a hall and Sokka sat before them. The door stood wide open beside him as Piandao stood in front of the boy.

"Sokka, when you first arrived, you were so unsure. You even seemed down on yourself. But I saw something in you right away. I saw a heart as strong as a lion turtle, and twice as big." Sokka looked at Piandao slightly surprised, there was doubt in his expression, almost guilt. "And as we trained, it wasn't your skills that impressed me." The sword master turned and was handed Sokka's sword as the man kneeled while handing it over. "No, it certainly wasn't your skills." Sokka looked down and looked shameful. "You showed something beyond that." Piandao removed the sword from it's sheath and the black blade shot out to his side, the blade gleaming and Sokka looked up at it. "Creativity, versatility, intelligence... these are the traits that define a great swordsman. And these are the traits that define you." He sheathed the sword, kneeled and handed it to Sokka. Sokka took the blade, his head bowed, but he didn't look at all excited. Freya watched the boy slightly confused. "You told me you didn't know if you were worthy, but I believe that you are more worthy than any man I have ever trained."

Sokka stared at the weapon in his lap and bowed his head, frowning.

"I'm sorry, Master. You're wrong. I am not worthy. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe." Aang, Katara and Toph all gawked at Sokka in shock for his confession while Freya rose an eyebrow and glanced at the master before them. "I lied so that I could learn swordsmanship from you. I'm sorry." and Sokka held the blade back to him.

Piandao looked at him strongly, perhaps with anger but there was something Freya couldn't quite place.

"I'm sorry, too."

Piandao turned around quickly before he had a sword in his hand. Sokka looked surprised but jumped to his feet to avoid it. The master swordsman lunched again and Sokka blocked with his sheathed sword.

Aang, Katara and Toph all got to their feet and took a bending stance to help the boy but Sokka rose his hand to stop them, shaking his fingers.

"No, this is my fight, alone." Piandao smiled slightly.

The two moved outside and stood on a courtyard, swords up and Sokka removed his sheath. The four stood watching from a balcony that overlooked the courtyard as the two swordsmen faced on another.

Katara had her hands clenched together before her as she and Aang watched in doubt while Freya had her arms crossed and watched carefully.

Piandao struck first and Sokka moved backwards to avoid the blade that came at his face. He rose his own sword and played defence. He struck at the master and he moved slightly sideways so the black blade moved off past his neck and Sokka leaned back as the silver one went over his head. He ducked and jumped to avoid the opponents weapon before he launched forwards. Sokka looked worried as his blade slid along Piandao's blade as the master sent him flying backwards by thrusting his handle into Sokka's chest.

Sokka hit the ground and skidded along towards a small pond in which a bridge sat over. He flapped backwards to get right to his feet, stumbled and grabbed the bridge's post to regain his balance. He got to his feet and climbed onto it as his master ran at him. Sokka jumped to the other post to avoid the blade and then again, moving further up the bridge. He rolled along the wood from side to side as the blade waved over his head before he blocked, protecting his face from behind his back. Sokka jumped back onto the bridge's railing and then jumped away, turning in the air to avoid the blade.

"Excellent! Using your superior agility against an older opponent… _smart._ " Piandao praised. He rose his sword and ran at the boy who looked determined and blocked the blade with his own. Sokka backed up towards a set of stairs and began to climb them, still blocking the master's weapon. Sokka had his back up against the walls lining the stairs and he thrusted his blade upwards to moved Piandao's sword off course before ducking as it swiped over his head. It came a few more times and Sokka moved to avoid before he dived sideways, planted his feet and shot off at the master, blade pointed. Piandao moved and Sokka went right past him, rolled along the step and then jumped up onto the walls of the stairs, fighting from above.

"Good use of terrain… fighting from the high ground." They blocked and struck before Piandao had his sword caught under Sokka's who stood on the other end of his, pinning Piandoa's weapon to the wall. The swordsman pulled and yanked on his handle to remove the weapon before he planted his feet and shoved it upwards. Sokka went stumbling backwards. He slammed into some bamboo shoots that had grown out and Aang, Toph and Katara all winced, the avatar was hanging over the railing as he watched.

Sokka looked up, his hair beginning to fall from it's tie. Piandao had climbed the level and stood before him as he raised his blade. Sokka ducked and the bamboo behind him was sliced through before Sokka ducked into the bamboo forest. He moved through the path and swung his sword around. The bamboo all began to fall inwards on the path as Piandao followed. He held a hand before him, holding his centre and swung his own blade to remove the obstacles from hitting him. Sokka stumbled slightly as he ran before he turned a corner and grabbed one of the bamboo shoots. He released it and it swung around to whip at the master who swung his sword. They fought around the chunk of bamboo, Piandao having to block Sokka who was now behind him.

"Yes, use your surroundings. Make them fight for you!"

Sokka grabbed another stalk as he ran away from the master and let it fling backwards at him. Piandao cut through it before Sokka came running out of the bamboo shouting in fear. The master followed as Sokka panted and arched around as Sokka looked back. He turned in time to have Piandao's blade shoot in front of him and the boy ducked so that he slid underneath it. He lost his balance as he ran forwards and stabbed his sword into the ground. He swung his weapon and dust kicked up at the master, covering his face and his eyes. He closed the lids and blinked but the dust prevented him from being able to see.

"Very resourceful." Piandao turned and held his hand up as he listened to noises. Sokka looked at him before he began to tip toe sideways, watching the master. The boy however was unlucky and stood on a twig, which snapped. Piandao turned at the noise and with a wave of his weapon he launched at Sokka. The boy blocked but Piandao rounded his hand until Sokka lost his grip and his weapon went flying sideways. It stabbed down into the ground and Sokka looked at it before he turned to the master, he waved his sword and Sokka stumbled around to avoid the blade, hitting it by the man's arm, tripping over his knee and slamming into the ground.

Sokka looked at Piandao worried who pointed his sword. Katara, Toph and Aang and jumped the railing to land down with the two swordsmen and ran towards the two. Freya was leaning on the railing watching with amusement. The master rose his sword from Sokka's face and flung it sideways, causing the three to stop.

"Excellent work, Sokka." Sokka looked at the man confused. Piandao rose his hand as the three benders had taken a stance and his sheath was thrown at him. Piandao spun around and pointed his sword. Despite having no vision he sheath slid straight onto the weapon perfectly.

"I think I'm a little old to be fighting the Avatar." he said and Aang and Katara looked surprised. They shared a look as all three relaxed their stance and Freya landed down beside them grinning.

"How did you know?" Aang wondered as Piandao was handed a white cloth and Sokka got to his feet.

"Oh, I've been around a while. You pick things up." he wiped his face of the dust and opened his eyes. "Of course, I knew from the beginning that Sokka was Water Tribe." Sokka frowned slightly. "You might want to think of a better Fire Nation cover name. Try "Lee." There's a million "Lees"." he took the drink that was handed to him and took a sip.

"But why would you agree to train someone from the Water Tribe?" Katara questioned.

"The way of the sword doesn't belong to any one nation. Knowledge of the arts belongs to us all." he handed his sword on before moving to pull Sokka's from the ground. He turned to the boy and handed it to him. "Sokka, you must continue your training on your own. If you stay on this path, I know that one day you will become an even greater master than I am."

The two bowed to one another as the others smiled.

They were escorted from the house, Sokka back in his Fire Nation clothes and now with a strap to hold his sword to his back with.

"You know, I'm a little insulted that Freya didn't run to my rescue like the rest of you." Sokka said

"Well you weren't in any danger?" she shrugged

"You know he wouldn't hurt Sokka?" Katara asked

"Not at first but I had my suspicions when he started complimenting Sokka's skills… who does that in a serious battle. Seemed more like he was testing you." she said

"Did your teachers do that to you then?" Sokka asked

"Not my teachers, but I was randomly attacked in order to have skills developed." she mumbled "Coming at me with no warning…"

"Did Zuko do that?" Aang asked.

This time the girl was ready for it as the pang went through her chest. She balled her fist by her side.

"Aang!" Katara scolded and the boy looked confused.

"Yes." Freya returned and she left it at that.

"Wait." they all turned to see Piandao's second running towards them. "The Master wanted you to have this, as something to remember him by." he handed Sokka a small brown bag and they all bowed to him before he turned back to the giant house. Sokka turned to the others and undid the bag before pulling out what was inside.

"It's a Pai Sho tile." He said as he held up the round disk.

"The white lotus. Hm." Aang noticed. Freya turned to the gate wall before them, the lotus carved into it.

"Iroh used to use that tile, it was essential to his technique… he once changed the course of the ship because he lost his and needed another one. Actually I think that was when you guys ran into the pirates." Freya chuckled.

"What does it mean?" Katara wondered

"I don't know, I never asked what was so special about it." Freya said and they turned to Sokka.

"I have no idea." he agreed and they turned back to the doors as they closed behind the man. The same lotus symbol on the door.

"Ooh, that reminds me." Sokka said as he put the tile back in the back and dug into his pocket. "Toph, I thought you might like this since you've probably never had a chance to bend space earth before." he pulled out and handed her a black rock from the meteor. The girl took it grinning.

"Sweet." she held it in both hands and it moulded into a swirl, then squashed and became a star. "Check this out." it became a splat looking shape.

"You know, I don't think there's such a thing as "space earth." If it's from space, then it's not really earth." Katara said as they turned and began to walk down the path.

"Must you ruin everything?" Sokka complained

"I can't believe I missed you." Katara mumbled

"How about we just call it space rock." Freya offered "Although it must have some particles the same if Toph can bend it."

"So we can call it earth." Sokka grinned

"No." Freya agreed and he slumped.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Water filled a grove and had dug into the ground, causing walls to rise up all around it. The sun was beaming down on the water.

"Aang, I know swimming is fun and all, but do you really think you should be exposing yourself like that. Cover up!" Toph was sitting on a rock, Katara was standing in the water ringing her hair out, Sokka sat on a rock with a fishing pole in his hand, the line in the water, Freya was lying on a piece of ice under the sun and Aang was floating around with Momo in his lap.

"What? I'm wearing trunks." Aang returned

"I know… it's your tattoos I'm worried about." she said raising her arms in frustration. "What if someone sees you?" she asked

"There are walls all around us. It's completely safe." Katara believed

"It's safe as long as he doesn't leave this little grove." Freya pointed out.

As she said this Momo looked up and running water sounded. Aang grinned as he turned and saw a cave and the water rushing down through it. Aang jumped over a rock, Momo clung to his neck and they disappeared down the cave.

"Now, it's not safe." Freya said pointing after him. Aang's cheers and Momo chirps sounded back up the cave towards them as Katara shook her head and Toph hit her forehead.

"I doubt there'll be anyone around here." Sokka said

"There will be now that you've said that." Freya said sighing. "By the way Sokka, are we allowed to be lounging around what with your master schedule?"

"We found some time to kill."

"What happened to needing to make up time?" she wondered lazily.

"I think after spending a day becoming a master swordsmen he's decided to loosen up." Katara chuckled.

Aang came bouncing up the rock and dove down into the grove with a cheer, Momo taking flight from his shoulder before he splashed down.

"Aang, can you not leave the grove please." Freya said

"But that slide…"

"I don't care, we're in the heart of the Fire Nation and it wont be hard for them to shove a heap of soldier's on our tail. I'd rather not have to hide everywhere." she said

"Are you sure it's not _who_ you'd be hiding from?" Sokka asked slyly.

"Sokka!" Katara snapped.

The girl however responded by angrily waving her arm so that Sokka was blasted backwards off the rock by a shot of water.

"Hey!" he complained, coming out of the water and spluttering.

"Sokka you can't say things like that!" Katara said as Freya's ice block melted and she fell down below the waters. "Freya doesn't need reminding of what happened."

"What? He's Zuko, who was expecting anything else?" Sokka asked

"Freya was." Katara admitted

"What do you mean?" Aang wondered.

Katara scratched her head and glanced around the water but the bender was still yet to appear.

"You're not saying Freya fell for the Fire Prince are you?" Toph asked.

The two boys gapped.

"Zuko kidnapped Freya, she's not going to fall for him." Sokka scoffed.

"Oh yeah? Then why was she running off to see him back in Ba Sing Se?" Katara asked

"We don't know who she was seeing." Sokka defended

"Yeah I do." Katara corrected "And we were all imprisoned in the crystal caves remember."

"Wait so Freya actually—" the girl in question burst from the water and Aang cut himself off as the boys looked at her. She noticed all their eyes on her.

"What?"

"Are you nuts!" Sokka snapped. Katara sent a wave to wash over him as Freya rose an eyebrow.

The five were all curled up in the grove as the sun had set and darkness lay over the sky. The grove was quiet as Sokka and Katara lay on mats, Freya lay on the bison's leg's and Aang was sprawled over the dirt with Toph. Toph was hugging Momo before her eyes opened and she placed a hand on the earth. Momo looked up at her as she sat up with her back to the others.

"Guys, you're all gonna think I'm crazy, but it feels like a metal man is coming." she said as they all turned to her, Momo included. Freya had jumped awake as if she'd been hit or a loud noise had startled her

"Metal man?" Freya mumbled sleepily before she rubbed her eyes "Sure it's not a man wearing metal?" she asked.

Aang suddenly groaned as a light moved over his eyes and shone into them through the darkness. They all turned to see a man standing on the ridge of their grove, the light was coming from his hand which reflected the moon. His arm was made of metal and so were the shoes on his feet. Katara sat up as Freya got to her feet and Sokka grabbed his sword. The bald man just stared at them, Freya peered at him before she noticed he had a tattoo on his forehead. It was a vertical eye and her eyes widened.

"Everyone move!" she shouted. They all got up as the man took a breath, clenched his stomach and suddenly something shot from his forehead. They all hid by Appa as air rushed past them and the ground exploded from the attack. Toph planted her feet and shot her arms forwards. A line of rocks tumbled across to cove and up the wall towards the man. Another line of explosion came from his forehead and blasted straight through the rocks.

Freya and Aang jumped forwards and with air and fire they caused a block as it shot straight at them. The explosion pushed them back before dispersing and Katara ran forwards, sending a heap of water up towards him. Again he exploded it and dust, fire and wind blew out from the collision.

Appa growled as they covered their faces from the entire cove was filled with steam.

The group all moved behind a rock as the man shot energy at them blindly. Rocks and wind blew everywhere from the explosions and Aang covered his ears.

"This is crazy! How can we beat a guy who blows things up with his mind?" Sokka demanded

"It's a fire bending technique." Freya said and they looked at her surprised.

"Then do something!" Sokka said desperately

"I never learnt it, and I'm still learning myself remember." she reminded him

"Then how do we beat him?" Sokka snapped

"We can't. Jump on Appa. I'll try to distract him." Aang said and he ran off from them.

"Aang you can't go by yourself!" Freya snapped and she got up to chase him. They ran through the smoke and Aang airbended himself out of the cover of their hiding place and through dust around them to cross the wall. Another explosion was sent at the boy and he launched out of the way as Freya shot herself forwards after him. She dispersed the flames of the explosion before her as she shot straight into it and after Aang.

Aang slid down the ridge on the other side and Freya launched through the air atop of him. There were several rock towers across the plain before them and Freya jumped over the top of them as Aang weaved between them below her.

Freya dove downwards and they both leaned back against one of the rock towers. Sliding sounded as the man had followed them and was skidding down the rock face.

"How does he do it?" Aang whispered

"I think it's to do with his chi." Freya responded "He uses it to trigger a explosion and I'm guessing the tattoo on his head is where he directs the chi to set the explosion. It's a range ability instead of close combat."

"Can you do that?" Aang asked

"Never learnt to direct my chi that way." she responded "Also don't want a tattoo on my forehead."

They heard the footsteps of the man before they stopped and Aang peered around the tower. The pops of the chi energy sounded and both launched away from the rock tower which exploded behind them. He sent multiple as Aang jumped up the towers and Freya dived through them. Dust shot up and clouded the two as they dived behind different towers again.

The metal footsteps sounded and Aang sent his tower flying at the man, it only exposed before him. Another was sent right at Aang and he jumped as it balled up before him into a small light. Aang flung his hand at it and air rushed from his fingers as the small ball exploded. The air created a barrier and the fire shot off away from Aang who was thrown into the air.

Freya shot off after the boy as he dove through another tower, dust going everywhere.

The man followed as she dove through the dust but when it cleared, both were gone. Aang was clouded in a heap of rocks, the pieces surrounding all but his eyes as the man walked past him. He opened his eyes and the man stopped before turning to the wall. He looked at it closely before Aang shot out, the rock covering him like armour. He jumped over the man and he took a breath before Freya dived forwards. She took a breath before turning to the man, placing herself between him and Aang. She moved her hands as the bolt shot at her and with a wave it suddenly curved and went shooting across to explode a tower. Freya looked surprised before she grabbed Aang's arm and with a burst of white fire they went shooting up to the sky. They fell back down just as Appa flew beneath them. Katara grabbed Aang and Freya took a breath as the bison zoomed off away from them.

"I'm okay." Aang assured

"Well, that was random." Toph thought.

"I don't think so. I get the feeling he knows who we are." Katara believed.

"Zuko." Freya muttered as she took a few breaths and Momo jumped onto Aang's head.

"What?" they asked

"Zuko sent him." she repeated, ignoring the pain the name caused.

"How do you know?" Aang questioned.

"Katara told him about the spirit water, he knows we could heal you after Ba Sing Se." she remembered

"But why not just send an army after us?" Sokka questioned.

"Azula and Zuko worked together, as allies. I wouldn't be surprised is Zuko was here in the Fire Nation, welcomed back home. But if they found out the Avatar was still alive, he wouldn't be allowed home, he might be kicked back out again." she thought as she stared at the bison's fur below her. "Send an assassin after us, under the radar, get rid of us and no one would be the wiser." she looked up at them.

"No one else new about the water, or the possibility of Aang surviving. And he wouldn't tell Azula, she'd turn him in to their father who'd just kick him out again. He's worked to be home for three years, he's not going to give that up." Katara and Aang shared a look as Freya looked back at the towers.

"It was only a matter of time before he acted."

"Freya?" Katara said carefully but she shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, taking a breath and lying down.

"How'd you direct the bolt Freya?" Aang asked, changing the subject.

"I sort of improvised…" she mumbled guiltily and they looked surprised.

"Chi is energy, so I sort of used a similar mind set to move it, like I do to create lightning." she said. "It is all connected after all."

"Well, now we just need to figure out how to stop him." Sokka said

"Luckily for us, Appa flies, it's hard to track something that leaves no tracks." Freya said "It might take him a bit to catch up again."

"And you're sure no one else knows?" Toph asked

"No, but I think it's the most likely, otherwise something else might have happened long before now." Freya said.

"I'm sorry, if I hadn't told Zuko about the spirit water…" Katara began

"If you ask me, he'd have figured out the possibility of Aang being alive even if you hadn't told him." Freya said and Katara looked at her as she turned to look over the night sky. "You can't chase someone all over the world and clash with them so much without learning of their determination." she muttered.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

"Guys wake up!"

Freya jumped awake suddenly as Aang's voice sounded through the air and the other three did the same.

"What? What is it? Are we being attacked again?" Sokka asked as he had his sword in his hand.

"No, we have to go!" Aang said

"Go where?" Toph asked sleepily.

"Roku's island."

"Hold up, start from the beginning, what?" Freya asked as she sat looking at the boy confused. Katara sat up as Sokka slumped himself back down on his mat. Even Momo curled himself back up beside Toph.

"Roku came to me in my dream last night." Aang said "He asked me to go to his home island on the solstice. He's going to tell me about his history with Fire Lord Sozin."

"You mean about how they were best friends and Sozin betrayed him?" Freya asked sleepily and they all turned to her.

"What?" Katara asked

"How do you know that?"

"Iroh told me." she shrugged. "Of course I was born in the era of Sozin so I knew he was friends with Roku."

"They were friends?" Toph asked and Freya nodded.

"But what happened?" Katara asked

"Well the war apparently began with Sozin wanting to share the Fire Nation's happiness with the rest of the world, and that's still what the Fire Nation citizens are told to this day. Roku refused this plan because he believed it was invasion of the other nations."

"It was." they all agreed and Freya nodded.

"Sozin went ahead and did it anyway, starting with the Earth Kingdom colonies. Apparently Sozin confessed about his plan at Roku's wedding and it caused a rift in their friendship." Freya said "The war didn't properly start until Roku passed but Sozin started it long before. If you think about it, this war is older than a hundred years, it was just delayed by Roku. Roku didn't act harshly against Sozin because of their friendship, and it turned out to be his downfall."

"Iroh told you all that?" Sokka asked and Freya nodded.

"Amongst other things…" she said frowning before she shook her head. "But I don't know any more than that."

"Maybe Roku can tell me how it all went so wrong?" Aang offered "If he knew Sozin from childhood."

"I hope so." Freya nodded.

They packed up their things and all climbed onto Appa. They moved off and towards the sea, Sokka had the map up and they followed it to the island marked.

"You know that Roku's island is basically right next door to the Fire Nation palace at the mainland right?" Freya said as she looked at the map.

"We'll need a cover." Sokka agreed "Katara, Freya." they two girls nodded and got to their feet, beginning to spin a cloud around them and the bison. The sun had risen by the time they reached an island with two volcanoes. It was bare and black, seeming to be covered in nothing but rock and ash.

"There it is. That's Roku's home." Aang noticed as they looked through the cloud towards it. The small cloud moved down the base of one of the volcanoes and the cloud dispersed as they climbed down.

"But there's nothing here." Katara thought confused.

Toph jumped off of the bison and caused dust to fly from her collision.

"Yes, there is. An entire village. Hundreds of houses." A breeze blew at the ash and past their feet. "All completely buried in ash."

"The volcanoes must have irrupted." Freya muttered as she patted the ground. "Maybe that's how Roku passed…" her eyebrows furrowed. _Although, his daughter survived, so some must have escaped._ she believed.

"So, how do you contact Roku?" Katara wondered

"Mediation." Aang said and he began to strip his clothes off to his pants and they moved along till he stood on a ridge overlooking the ocean. He sat himself down and crossed his legs, putting his fists together, facing the waters. The others stood behind him, sitting down as he closed his eyes.

"Freya, don't you want to go too?" Katara asked. She looked at her. "I mean you know quite a bit about this too."

"I do, but more so I get to know Roku and Sozin." she admitted

"Why Roku?"

"Why Sozin?" Sokka asked in disbelief. She frowned and lowered her gaze.

 _Because of his connection with Zuko…_ she knew herself she wanted to know what was happening inside him with both light and dark of his great grandfathers, and she wanted to know why Sozin's side seemed to continue winning. Of course she knew Zuko's motivation but…

"Freya, come mediate with me." Aang said turning to her.

"You realise I might not even be able to go into the spirit world?" she said obviously

"Well you do have more of a connection than the rest of us." Toph said

"And you have a connection to Aang too." Katara said. The two benders shared a look before she shrugged.

"I'll give it a shot." she allowed and she walked over to Aang. She sat herself down beside him and with a look they both turned to the sea and closed their eyes.

The solstice began as the sun sat over the water, creating a strip of yellow and orange amongst the blue.

Aang's tattoos began to glow and Freya opened her eyes when he nudged her. She peaked at him annoyed before she looked around surprised. They were sitting on a mountain top and around them were heaps of clouds.

"Woah…" she mumbled

"Welcome to the spirit world Freya." Aang smiled. His buzz hair wasn't on his head and he wore his old and now destroyed airbender outfit. "See you can make it."

"Well… I know Iroh did somehow but…" she mumbled.

Flapping sounded and they turned to see a dragon rushing towards them. It was red, a long body, short legs and long wings. It moved to lower down beside the two as they stood up and sitting on it's neck, was Roku, smiling at them.

"Freya, it's good to meet you." she bowed to him. "I'd like to apologise for the trouble I've caused you." Freya looked at him surprised as Aang looked confused. The girl frowned.

"It's okay. I don't think you can be blamed." she smiled slightly. "I hope you don't mind if I tag along, there's something I'm looking for." he nodded.

"I think you have every right to understand, after all, this war separated you of your family as it did many others, though differently." she nodded and bowed again.

"Thank you Avatar Roku." she whispered.

"Come, Aang." Roku took Aang's hand and the two benders climbed onto the dragon with Roku and the dragon moved off to fly through the clouds.

"Where are we going?" Aang asked curiously

"To visit my past. Our shared past." he smiled at the boy and Aang grinned.

The clouds swirled around them before they appeared in a garden. Before them were two boys, fire bending against one another. One had long dark hair and a bun on the top of his head tying half of it up and the other had his all bunned up with an ornament over it. Freya looked at Roku, he had the same head piece on his head as one of the boys did.

One pushed the other back until he tripped over a tree root. He was held in a final hold before being dropped to the ground. He grinned at his friend below him.

"Looks like I win again, Roku." He extended his hand to Roku.

"Are you kidding? The tree root did all the work." Roku was helped to his feet and he patted the boy's shoulder. "Nice one, Sozin."

"Freya was right! You _were_ friends with Fire Lord Sozin!" he said. Freya rose an eyebrow.

"You thought I was lying?" she asked and he smiled guiltily.

"Back then, he was just Prince Sozin, and he was my best friend." Roku smiled.

The two moved out of the garden and stopped as a girl moved past the boys. Young Roku blushed and stared after her dreamily. Sozin nudged him.

"Say something to her." he whispered. Roku walked after the girl as she blushed and glanced behind her. She didn't stop however as Roku rose his hand to try and speak.

"Uh…ahhh." he groaned and fell backwards onto the grass. Sozin moved to sit beside him and started pulling the grass and dropping it on his face.

"Love is hard when you're young." Roku admitted.

"You don't have to tell me." Aang agreed and Freya lowered her gaze. Roku put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. She returned it before he turned to Aang on his other side.

"Don't worry, it gets better. Now come with me. We have a party to attend." they turned and the scene changed around them. Now they were in the palace and the courtyard was filled with people. Lanterns were strung from the sky and Roku and Sozin stood at the head of the room.

"Wait, whose party is it?" Aang wondered

"Sozin and I shared many things, including a birthday." Roku admitted as the guests clapped to them. Roku glanced to the side where the girl he was crushing on stood and she blushed as she turned her gaze down and her friend giggled beside her.

Roku grinned at the reaction and he missed a step as they were descending the stairs. Sozin grabbed the boy to stop him falling down them and laughed at him as Roku brushed his head embarrassed.

They stopped and looked confused as Fire Sages walked towards them and through the crowd. Sozin walked forwards looking worried.

"Did something happen to my father?" he wondered, walking down the steps.

"No, Prince Sozin. We are not here for you. We are here to announce the identity of the next Avatar." Whispers travelled through the guests and the two boys stared surprised. The sages all bowed down before the two boys. "It is our honour to serve you, Avatar Roku."

Roku stared surprised as all the guests began to bow before him, and finally, Sozin bowed down himself as well.

"That must have been a shock." Freya frowned.

"Indeed." Roku agreed. "I was now to embark on a difficult journey."

They appeared in a bedroom where Roku was sitting upon a bed. Sozin appeared at the doorway grinning, Roku did not look happy.

"Hey, why aren't you packed yet, all-powerful Avatar?"

Roku didn't move, he just continued to stare. Sozin looked down before he grinned and jumped in front of the boy, waving his arms around in bending stances.

"Come on, show me how it's done using all four kinds of bending." he grinned at his friend.

"I started packing, but then the fire sages told me I won't need any worldly possessions anymore." Roku admitted. Sozin frowned and lowered his gaze.

"Oh." Sozin moved to sit beside his friend who had an empty case at his feet.

"It happened so fast. Everything's going to be different now." Roku admitted.

Sozin looked down before he reached to the fire ornament in his hair. He pulled out the pin and slipped it off of his bun, putting it in his hand.

"Here." he held his hand out to Roku. "I hope you're at least allowed to have this."

"But this is a royal artefact." Roku said surprised "It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince."

"I want you to have it." Sozin admitted. Roku smiled and he took the artefact, slipping it over his bun and the pin into his hair to hold it in place.

Freya smiled, he now looked more so like a younger version of the man beside her.

"Sozin was so caring." she whispered. "He wanted you to have a connection to home." she turned to Roku who nodded smiling. The two boys got up, and bowed to one another.

The scene moved and the three sat on Fang, Roku's dragon, moving across the land and over the oceans.

"Hey, we're almost at the Southern Air Temple." Aang noticed

"This was the first stop on my avatar journey." Roku admitted. "It was the place where I was trained to master airbending," they approached the temple, sitting high on it's mountain peak. "And also where I met an old friend of yours," They arrived to find Roku, older than the others beside him who were all bald. His hair was moving as he blew tiny wisps of wind at a boy beside him with his fingers. He grinned as the boy looked annoyed. The monk blew back at him and smirked as Roku's hair was blown around before Roku nudged him and they grinned. "Monk Gyatso."

"No way." Aang grinned as Freya chuckled. Each of the students had gliders in their hands and their master opened their's before the students lined up in two lines and their master launched into the air. In twos the students followed, gliding through the air, Gyatso and Roku last.

"Hey, Gyatso, you want to see a new glider trick?" Roku asked as Gyatso was beside him grinning with his mouth wide open and teeth exposed.

Roku looped twice in the air and Gyatso laughed.

"Check this out." he flipped over and stood on the main pole of his glider, surfing on it.

"He's air-surfing. I can't believe I never thought of that." Aang grinned impressed, pointing at it.

"He was just like you at your age." Freya said grinning.

Gyatso moved his feet to far to one side and the glider tipped out from under him. Gyatso cried out as he fell downwards and Roku dived under him, catching the airbender. They were soaring down to the patch of ground where the others had landed and both looked worried. The others turned and cried out before running away as the two boys crash landed into the ground. The students all lay across the grass and rocks, a few of the gliders broken and Gyatso stood up to blow Roku's hair from his face. They grinned at one another.

"That's amazing. I can't believe you were friends with Monk Gyatso just like I was." Aang grinned

"Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes." the two children shared a smile.

"Well, we managed it." Freya said and they chuckled.

Next the three were at the Northern Water Tribe. On top of a glacier stood two men.

"After my years mastering airbending, I traveled to the Northern Water Tribe." Roku's beard had began to grow by now and he looked much older. He wore the blue water tribe clothes and faced a man who had dull grey hair and had a betrothal necklace around his neck.

"Waterbending was especially challenging for me." Roku admitted as his master moved his arms and a pillar of water shot from behind him and down at Roku. The glacier broke and Roku vanished in amongst the ice cloud and water. A little fair ways off Roku appeared out of the blue liquid and with a wave a long shot of water went tunnelling at the master. He was thrown back so far that the water strike went all the way across the water, and crashed into the palace beyond Roku's sight. The wall of the water tribe had not yet been built and the palace faced the open water. "But in time, I mastered it as well."

"That's amazing." Freya grinned.

Roku stood in Earth Kingdom clothes and again he had aged significantly and his hair grew longer again. He had filled out quite a bit.

"I moved on to the Earth Kingdom." Roku swung his arms and he went sliding up a cliff on a piece of earth. Beside him was a man wearing green and following after him. "My Earthbending master, Sud, was uncompromising, stubborn, and blunt." They raced into the thick trees and up the mountain. Sud appeared at the top where he grinned, cheering before he looked before him surprised. Roku sat there on a boulder with cups and a tea pot as he poured his master one. "… and a lifelong friend." the two toasted as his master grinned at him.

"It was bitter work…" Roku stood, behind him was sand, before him was water. He rose his arms to the front gracefully, stuck his hands to his right hard, shot his arm left for fire to shoot out and waved his arms behind him for air to fly out. The four elements moved off past him in the four directions as Roku stood in the middle. "but the results were worth it."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Roku walked into the throne room of the Fire Nation Palace, he had aged, and so had the man who sat before him.

"Sozin, or should I say, Fire Lord." Roku greeted cheerfully. Sozin had grown his facial hair himself and the Fire Lord crown sat within the bun of his hair.

"Customarily, my subjects bow before greeting me," he said seriously, staring down at the Avatar. Roku paused slightly surprised, but when Sozin walked down toward him, he smiled and stood before his friend. "but you're the exception." he allowed and the two shared a hug.

"After all these years, he was still my best friend," Roku smiled. The scene changed and they were now standing in a wedding reception. "And a few months later, he was my best man." Two people turned and bowed lowly to one another, one of them Roku, another a women who wore white and had a large head piece that held her veil as it cascaded over her face. Sozin stood before them both, holding a large piece of paper.

"Roku, it's that girl who didn't even know you were alive." Aang noticed pointing as the veil was moved from her face.

"Show's how little you noticed, she knew he existed." Freya smiled.

"Ta Min." Roku announced "I was persistent." Roku smiled at her as she looked up at him. They turned to the crowd before them, who cheered. "When love is real, it finds a way. And being the Avatar doesn't hurt your chances with the ladies either." Roku said as they watched the two bow to their guests. Freya chuckled.

The two sat at the table as people greeted them and bowed to the happy couple. Sozin walked up behind them and leaned down to Ta Min.

"Excuse me. May I borrow him for a moment?" he asked her

"It's not very traditional, but okay." she allowed and Sozin turned to grin at Roku. They got up and moved away from the ceremony.

"What's on your mind?" Roku wondered

"I've been thinking hard about the state of the world lately." Sozin said and Roku moved up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder and making him turn.

"Sozin, it's my wedding! Have a cookie. Dance with someone, lighten up." he said cheerfully.

"I know, I know, but just hear me out." he asked hopefully and Roku nodded.

Sozin turned and began to pace away from his friend.

"Right from the start I was destined to be Fire Lord, and although we didn't always know it, you were destined to be the Avatar." Roku followed as they looked out over the kingdom before them. "It's an amazing stroke of fait we know each other so well isn't it?" Roku stopped and looked at Sozin as he continued smiling. "Together we could do… anything." Sozin turned to Roku who looked unsure now.

"Yeah… we could." he agreed carefully.

"Our nation is enjoying an unprecedented time of peace and wealth." Sozin said as he looked over the town before him. "Our people are happy." they could see the ocean as the sun set down over it. "And we're so fortunate in so many ways."

"Where are you going with this?" Roku wondered

"I've been thinking, we should share this prosperity with the rest of the world." Sozin said "In our hands is the most successful empire in history." Sozin looked at Roku seriously as Roku looked surprised. "It's time we expanded it!"

"No." Roku said stepping forwards "The four nations are meant to be just that. Four."

"Roku you haven't even stopped to consider the possibilities." Sozin said

"There are no possibilities. This is the last I want to hear about this." And Roku turned to walk away.

"That was my first real test as the Avatar." Roku admitted. "Unfortunately, it was many years before I learned that Sozin had gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning."

Roku flew over the earth kingdom on Fang and saw the Earth Kingdom colonies with the Fire Nation symbol on the top. The city was smoking and had been attacked and Roku, with grey now in his hair, looked shocked.

The doors to the throne room burst open and Roku stepped in to face Sozin sitting at the other end.

"I've seen the colonies, Sozin. How dare you occupy Earth Kingdom territory." Roku accused, pointing at him as he walked into the room.

"How dare you," Sozin returned calmly "A citizen of the Fire Nation address your Fire Lord this way. Your loyalty is to our Nation first. Anything less makes you a traitor."

"Don't do this, Sozin. Don't challenge me. It will only end badly." Roku warned. Sozin stared at him angrily. "It's over."

Roku walked back toward the door and Sozin grit his teeth before he leapt forwards from his throne and shot his fists forwards. Fire flared out and filled the entire room, encasing Roku before it dispersed and the man was missing, Sozin looked angry and shocked before Roku appeared behind him from out of the ground. Wind shot from Roku's hand and Sozin was sent flying backwards. He grunted as he hit the door into the throne room and collapsed to the ground. A stump shot up out of the ground behind him and caught his robe, pulling him up into the air and slamming into the roof, trapping him there.

Roku concentrated before he opened his eyes and they glowed. Wind shot out and broke the pillars that lined the carpet to the thrones and the entire room of the palace was broken, the roof was blown off and the pieces went everywhere.

Sozin had his face covered with his arms and he turned to see Roku rise from the ground before him with a funnel of air so that he was at Sozin's eye level.

"I'm sparing you, Sozin. I'm letting you go in the name of our past friendship, but I warn you, even a single step out of line will result in your permanent end." Roku threatened. Sozin stared at him before his face slumped and Roku moved off away from him, leaving the Fire Lord hanging from the stump.

"Sozin and I didn't speak or see each other for 25 years after our battle. I spent most of my spare time here at my home." Roku, now white haired, lay in his bed beside his wife Ta Min before the ground began to rumble. Something exploded and the man leapt from his bed quickly. Looking out the window fire balls were falling down upon the land. He grabbed a robe as Ta Min ran out the door with him. Ash was falling, smoke and dust rose all around them. Roku coughed and so did his wife before he turned to look behind the house. The smoke was billowing out of the volcano.

"Let's go!" he grabbed his wife's hand and sent a funnel of air through the gasses in which they followed. Everyone who lived on the island was running towards the shore line. Rocks fell all around them and avalanches of dust and dirt followed through the buildings.

Fang launched out of his cave behind Roku's house as it was buried in the avalanche. Lava began to run down the hill as Roku had his sleeve over his mouth and he ran with his villagers following to the ocean. He released Ta Min's hand and she reached for him but ran with the others as Roku stopped. He turned to the avalanche and around him exploded a ball of air, it protected those as they ran for the boats and himself as the dust cloud surrounded the island.

The island shook and lava exploded from the top. Roku jumped and with a burst of his hands the rock he stood on rose up and extended towards the hill of the volcano. He created a wall as the earth rose up on every side of him and the falling rocks crashed into it before more lava exploded and ran down the side of the volcano. The lava crashed against the wall Roku had made and splashed upwards towards him. It ran so vigorously that it over flowed and Roku jumped from his perch and away from the hot liquid. He slid down the earth just ahead of the lava before he dug his hand downwards and swiped it to the side. A giant trench dug through the earth and towards the side of the island. Roku turned and did the same on the other side, digging the trench to that the lava flowed into it and travelled down to the water, being cooled and turned to rock by the liquid.

"This is amazing, Roku. You're battling a volcano, and you're winning." Aang said in awe, but Freya looked at it sadly, frowning.

"Unfortunately, my success didn't last, Aang. There was no way I could do it all." Roku admitted.

The lava continued to flow and Roku turned as more shot out of the top like a fountain. Roku jumped forwards and launched his way up through the air towards the volcano's mouth. He blew a heap of air down at it, sending him backwards and the lava dried out so that Roku could land.

He looked at the lava before he jumped away as a heap of volcanic gas shout of out the ground.

"Battling the elements was hard enough. I had to do it while I could barely breathe. The poisonous, volcanic gasses were overwhelming." Roku used air bending to shove the gases away and stop lava from flowing over him. More gas shot up and Roku blew it away from him as he coughed and covered his mouth.

Lava shot from the volcano some more before Fang flew over the sky towards Roku. He cried out as the lava jumped up towards him and the dragon was almost covered in the liquid.

"It's all right, Fang. Get out of here, I'm fine." Roku shouted as he coughed and blew more gases away.

Roku swung his arms before his eyes glowed and he jumped. He slammed his hand forwards and the lava shot apart before him, the force flying past and exploding out the other side. The lava began to run down the other side of the volcano and way from those in the sea far down below behind the avatar. It ran right down the ocean and the entire land was glowing before the ground shook and the second volcano irrupted.

Roku looked at it before he hung his head in defeat.

"Need a hand, old friend?" Roku turned to find Sozin on his own dragon behind him, the man's hair was also white with age.

"Sozin?!" Roku asked shocked

"There's not a moment to waste." Sozin believed.

The two flew over on the dragon towards the volcano as more lava shot out of it's top. The two stood beside one another and Roku pushed the lava back down as Sozin held one hand out to the fire and waved his other. The smoke went into his fingers and he pointed the other hand out so that all the heat was pulled from the volcano. The lava began to harden as the heat was taken away. They stared at it before them as lightning cracked and the earth below Sozin's feet crumbled. The Fire Lord gasped as he looked back before Roku acted and slammed his foot down. A platform of earth shot out below Sozin and gave him a steady footing. They shared a look before the ground shook and they turned back to the volcano. Both turned and jumped as smoke and gas went everywhere.

"Don't breathe the toxic gas." Roku advised and he blew the shoots of gas away from the as they burst from the ground. One of them shot up as they ran and straight into Roku's face. He stopped before it dispersed and he coughed, staring at his hands as his vision blurred.

"It's... too much." he confessed as he fell to his knees. Sozin stared at him behind him as his old friend gagged and coughed, wheezing.

"Please…" Roku reached to his old friend who simply stared.

"Without you, all my plans are suddenly possible." he said callously. "I have a vision for the future, Roku." Sozin's dragon appeared behind him and the Fire Lord stepped onto it. He looked back at Roku who stared with shock before his old friend flew away from him and to safety, away from the destruction and back to the Fire Nation capital.

Roku stayed, crouching, on the ground as Fang roared down at his master. The rumbling avalanche of rock, dust and volcanic ash ran down the hill towards the Avatar behind him. Roku looked at his old companion and Fang flew down, circling Roku and surrounding him on the ground before the two were covered in the tumbling land.

The scene changed and they were standing in a temple, sunlight beamed in through the window and a baby cried. A baby with a small amount of hair on his head was raised as he grinned and giggled.

"Who's... wait, that's me, isn't it?" Aang realised.

"Make sense of our past Aang, and you will bring peace and restore balance in the world." Roku disappeared from behind the two and Aang turned surprised.

"Roku? Roku?" Aang asked before he walked into the white abyss. Freya closed her eyes frowning.

She was sitting amongst the rocks on Roku's island and the sun had set beyond her. Aang turned to the others behind him and they pounced questions about what had happened. Aang explained what Roku had showed him and the three looked surprised. Freya was still sitting in place, a few tears cascading down her face.

"You mean, after all Roku and Sozin went through together... even after Roku showed him mercy, Sozin betrayed him like that?" Katara questioned

"It's like these people are born bad." Toph said

"No, that's wrong. I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all." Aang said

"Then what was the point?" Sokka wondered

"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about friendships." Aang smiled at them.

"Freya?" Katara asked as she turned to the girl, they all turned as she was still staring at the ocean.

"I'm okay." she whispered

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Katara wondered as Freya got to her feet.

"Yes… and no." she whispered.

"What were you looking for?" Sokka wondered.

"The connection between Sozin and Roku, how and why everything happened, and the conflict between them." she said "Of course we never saw where in those twelve years Sozin changed and decided to ruin the world." she said frowning.

"Why does that matter?" Sokka questioned.

Freya turned to the four behind her and her expression was very sad, she walked towards them.

"There's a reason I had a bit of faith in Zuko." she said and they looked surprised "Iroh told me something, something that I was really surprised about, and it helped me to see what the old man saw in Zuko, why he had so high hopes in him. Iroh believed Zuko could help to save the Fire Nation, stop this war and forgive the sins of their family. After all, we can defeat the Fire Lord, but unless someone righteous is put on the throne afterwards, it wont stop anything. Iroh believed Zuko could do it because of his birth right."

"What do you mean?" Toph asked

"The connection between Sozin and Roku seemed inevitable no matter what form it took. Both of them had children, who had children. Roku's daughter had a daughter who she called Ursa. She married a man and they had two children, a son and a daughter. Ursa married the Fire Prince of that time, their daughter was named after his father, Azulon, and their son, they named Zuko." the four's mouths dropped open in shock. "Sozin was one of the Zuko's great grandfathers, the descendant of the throne of the Fire Nation… and the other, who was his mother's grandfather, was Avatar Roku." the four stared at her shocked.

"Zuko's Roku's descendant!?" Aang demanded and she nodded.

"Roku's granddaughter married Fire Lord Ozai. I wanted to see what happened between the two to try and understand what's going on inside Zuko. To try and…" she shook her head. "I understand the conflict, but it doesn't solve anything." she mumbled, turning back to the ocean. "Some relationships break, and there's no fixing them, no matter how deep they went." she whispered. "Sozin threw away his friendship, for power. And now, a hundred years later, Zuko did the exact same thing." she frowned.

They were silent behind her and Toph stepped forwards to take Freya's hand in comfort.

"Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?" she asked softly. Aang walked forwards and took Toph's other hand.

"I don't see why not." he smiled as Katara took Freya's other hand. The two water benders shared a smile and Katara rested her head on the older girl's shoulder.

"Well, scientifically speaking, there's no way to prove that—" Sokka began

"Oh, Sokka, just hold hands." Katara interpreted annoyed, holding her hand out to him. Sokka was still before his hand flashed down to take his sister's, who smiled, and they stared out of the sea as the sun rose beyond.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Toph took a bending stance, planting her feet and raising her arms. Katara stood opposite and rose her's, water shooting out of the river behind her and wrapping around her arms. Freya stood and rose her arms, fire flaring from her hands before the three turned.

"Ok, I'm ready for some training!" Aang stood up and he wrapped his headband around his eyes as a blind fold. He turned to the three girls and slammed his foot down. The vibrations moved through from his foot and across the ground, travelling past the three before he shot sidewards avoiding a boulder that struck out of the ground. He skidded sideways to miss another and a third as he stood between the three.

Katara's water moved and shot at him and Aang ducked, swirled it around him and shot it back. Katara waved her hand away and Aang shot a boulder backwards at Toph who caught it.

Freya shot forwards, her feet hardly gracing the floor but the fire burning across it instead and Aang moved sideways to dodge the flame that shot at him. He ducked and dodged the close combat from the girl before she reached backwards, stole Katara's water and Aang separated it so it went on either side of him. Freya jumped backwards to avoid a boulder that shot up before she punched it and the fiery rocks shot at the avatar. Aang rose a wall to block them all as Toph grinned.

"Good job, twinkle-toes. Visualise — then attack!" Toph punched the boulder back at the boy and he spun around to dive straight into the ground. Freya split, her feet sliding away from one another and landed on the ground as the rock went over her head and smashed straight into Katara. She groaned as she hit the ground before getting back to her feet.

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Toph." she returned as Freya looked between them and Aang poked his head out of his hole.

"What's the matter? Can't handle some dirt, Madame Fussy Britches?" Toph returned as Aang airbended himself to his feet and Freya stood up too. She sighed as Katara rose her hands, water rose up behind her. There was a hole in the middle that went over Freya and Aang before the wave washed straight down over Toph, drenching her.

"Oh, sorry, did I splash you, _mud slug_?" Katara asked as Toph looked annoyed.

Toph launched forwards on a rock wave, Katara called water to do the same on ice and they ran at one another. Freya stood with her arms crossed and she pulled Aang backwards as they crashed into one another. The boy had taken a bending stance but the two girls went tumbling away and their grunts sounded as they landed.

"Are we taking a break?" he asked, still blindfolded.

"Seems we are." Freya mumbled.

Sokka poked his head up over a ridge with a conniving expression before he ran forwards screaming and rose his arm.

"Yaaaaaah, sneak attack!" Aang rose his arm and Sokka crashed straight into a earth bolder that rose in his way. Aang lowered it back down before he pulled off his blind fold.

"Sokka, sneak attacks don't work if you yell it out loud." Aang admitted as Sokka toppled over backwards.

"Still amusing." Freya said before she turned back to the two girls. They were standing in a mud pile, fingers laced together and pushing on each others's arms.

Katara pulled Toph through the mud to the side.

"Hungry for a mud pie?" Toph asked before she kicked mud in Katara's face. Katara stumbled backwards spluttering in complaint as she rubbed the mud from her face.

"I'll give you a mud pie." she sung her arm as she jumped and the mud jumped up to smash Toph in the face, knocking her to the floor. Toph jumped to her feet and the earth below Katara sent her flying into the grass bank behind her before she crashed back into the mud pit.

Katara looked at Toph who ran at her before Freya coughed.

"Excuse me." she said and they froze.

"Uh, guys, I thought we were supposed to be training _me_." Aang said as the two and Sokka stood on the edge of the mud pit. The two girls looked surprised, having seemed as though they forgot all about Aang.

"Very well, pupil. I believe we've had enough training for today." Katara said as she stood up and tried to regain some pride. She turned and walked away.

"While Katara cleans up, let's go have some fun!" Toph decided as she clenched her arms to her body and the mud jumped off of her.

"Yes!"

"Yeah!" the boys cheered in agreement.

"Coming Freya?" Aang asked

"No, but do me a favour and try not to get into any trouble." she said. The three said nothing as they ran off from her and she moved off over to Katara.

"You alright?" Freya asked her

"Yeah, why'd you ask?" Katara asked as she moved over to the water and began to clean off all her mud.

"You totally just lost it against Toph there." Freya said as she watched her "You fell right down to her level."

"She hit me." Katara mumbled

"You should have dodged it." Freya returned "And that's such a childish answer." she said as she sat down. "You're usually much more mature than that Katara."

"Maybe I needed to be a little childish." Katara returned

"Than why look so embarrassed when you're caught?" Freya asked

"She just pushes my buttons."

"She's Toph. Not only that but earthbenders are all about pushing against forces." Freya said, raising an eyebrow. "You also took out all the fun of me beating Aang up."

"I haven't seen you two spar in a while, you sure you still can?" Katara asked

"Sure." she shrugged "I've been training just like he has."

Katara sighed as she got out of the water and drew it off of her clothes, now clean.

"Well, we might as well make some food for when everyone get's back."

"Let's hope they buy some more, cause we're gonna be running low soon." Freya admitted as they walked back to Appa. The bison was sitting on the edge of a cliff. They grabbed one of their pots and Freya lit a fire before Katara began to add some food and water to create a soup.

Laughter caught Freya's attention and she turned to see Sokka, Aang and Toph walking up towards them, each was holding a large basket of food in their hands.

"Where did you guys get the money to buy all this stuff?" Katara asked startled as they threw down the food and items beside her.

"Toph got us money. She scammed one of those guys in town who moves the shells around all sneaky-like." Aang explained as he and Toph had an apple in their hands and Aang took a seat. Katara looked disappointed as Toph and Sokka took a seat as well.

"She used earthbending to win the game. Classic!" Sokka grinned

"Huh, never thought it could be used like that." Freya thought.

" _Ah_ , so she cheated." Katara said

"Hey, I only cheated because he was cheating. I cheated a cheater. What's wrong with that?" Toph asked smiling

"I'm just saying, this isn't something we should make a habit of doing." she advised

"Why? Because its fun, and you _hate_ fun?" Toph asked

"I don't hate fun." Katara seized Momo and draped him over her head. "See? Fun." Momo slipped from her hair and crashed to the ground. He chirped at her angrily before running away.

"From my perspective they're not gonna stop now they've had a taste, so here's a different piece of advice," Freya began "Don't always win."

"What?" Aang asked surprised.

"Look if Toph goes around scamming everyone you're gonna have something similar to a riot on your hands, especially if you run with the goods afterwards. If you loose every now and then, then they can only say you've got great luck. You always win and it's suspicious." she shrugged

"Freya don't encourage this!" Katara snapped

"You clearly don't know Toph very well." Freya said "We don't want attention so make sure you play it careful, and don't over do it. We don't need to be breaking you out of a prison. And we don't need to get greedy."

"They shouldn't be doing it at all." Katara said

"We need to get provisions and food somehow," Freya said "A little here and there wont hurt, just as long as they don't abuse it."

"Freya!" Katara scolded

"Katara, I'll personally make you an Avatar promise that we won't make a habit of doing these scams." Aang said as he rose his headband to expose his arrow and bowed to the girl.

The scams didn't stop.

They threw sticks with symbols, turning them with earthbending. They whacked a bell with a hammer, giving the hammer the right force with earthbending. They even went as far as to have Toph run into a cart and the man think he'd run her over, stopping the cart with earthbending. The man tried to run before Sokka appeared with a beard and a batten. The man tried to get out of it by paying Sokka a hefty sum.

"You did what?" Freya asked when they told her. "How on earth is that one fair? You want to trick cheaters who scam people, fine. But that was theft." she said

"Now who's turned into Katara."

"You guys wrongfully tricked a guy." Freya snapped as the three were counting their current spoils.

"Guys, I think these scams have gone far enough. If you keep doing them, something bad is gonna happen." Katara agreed

"Could you for once stop being such a sourpuss and just lighten up?" Toph said, flicking Katara a silver piece of money. "And Freya don't worry so much."

"Toph you're now being overly reckless." Freya snapped

"Oh, I'm sorry. You think I should be more like you? Like some wild child?" Katara asked throwing it back down. Sokka slipped in and took it from the ground.

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe then, you'd see how great we have it. I mean, look at us. We're traveling around the world, making easy money, having fun, with no parents to tell us what to do." Toph said as she put her hands behind her head and laid back casually.

"Ah, I see. You're acting like this because of your parents." Katara said slyly.

"Whatever." Toph dismissed

"They were controlling over you, so you ran away, and now you act like your parents don't exist. You act like you hate them, but you don't. You just feel guilty." Katara said

"I _do_ hate them!" Toph said disagreeing

"I don't think so. I think you miss them. But you just don't want to deal with that, so instead, you act like this crazy person." Katara said

"Look. I ran away to help Aang!" Toph said getting to her feet

"You know what? It doesn't matter. These scams put us all at risk, and we don't need that. We've already got some third-eyed freak after us." Katara reminded her

"Speaking of that third-eyed freak... I think I've come up with a name for him. What do you think of..."Sparky-Sparky Boom Man"!" Sokka asked grinning.

"No." Freya declined instantly and the others just stared at him.

"Just think about it." Sokka offered.

"We have enough money. You need to stop this!" Katara snapped

"I'll stop when I want to stop, and not when you tell me!" Toph said and she stomped her foot, her coin bag lunching up into her hand before she stalked off past Katara. The older girl shook her head as Toph sat, and her earth tent rose around her to block her off from Katara.

"Well done." Freya said to Katara

"You're telling me off!?" she demanded

"You're the one who brought up hurtful memories." Freya said "Talking to Toph about her parents is like talking to me about Zuko." she said and Katara looked surprised. "It was also unnecessary, and wont help you get through to her."

"She's going overboard."

"And yelling at her isn't going to show her that." Freya said as the two boys looked between them. "Come on Katara, you've learnt how to get your point across to Sokka, Aang and I despite our different natures but you haven't learnt how to handle Toph?" she asked.

Katara sighed and looked at the tent as silence fell.

Sokka broke it.

"Speaking of money, I'm off to spend some. See you guys later." and he walked away with his bag.

"Aang, why don't you and I do some fire bending training?" Freya smiled

"Alright." Aang grinned

"See, he's not afraid anymore, it was handled." Freya said to Katara who huffed before the two benders moved off.

Katara stood by herself for a moment, her arms crossed stubbornly.

"Hang on I'm coming too, we can do some waterbending." she decided before following the two benders.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Katara, Freya and Aang stood amongst the river near the waterfall which Appa sat up near. Sokka returned as Toph was counting her spoils and he approached her.

"Toph, when I was in town, I found something that you're not gonna like." he pulled out and held up a piece of paper, on it was an image that resembled Toph and writing was below it. It was a wanted paper.

"Well, it _sounds_ like a sheet of paper, but I guess you're referring to what's _on_ the sheet of paper." Toph said as she pointed at it.

"It's a wanted poster. Of you. They've nicknamed you "The Runaway."" Sokka said. He had a bird on his shoulder that cawed as he looked worried.

"A wanted poster. That's _so_ great. "The Runaway". I _love_ my new nickname. Is there a picture of me? Does it look good?" Toph asked enthusiastically. Sokka looked at her unsure before looking at the image. He held it up to compare to Toph who sat waiting.

"Well, yeah, actually, it does look pretty good. But Toph, you're missing the point. Maybe Katara was right. These scams are drawing too much attention to us." Sokka realised

"Don't be such a worrywart like your sister. Think of it this way. Now you have plenty of money to help with the invasion plan!" Toph convinced as she held up a bag of coins to him.

"Well, that _is_ true. I had this idea of making armour for Appa." Sokka confessed, turning to the bison who lay napping. He opened an eye to look at the boy.

"Here's a little extra so you can get yourself a nice map of the Fire Nation." Toph said handing him some gold pieces. "You know what? Make it an atlas." and she held out the whole bag up to him.

"I do like expensive atlases." Sokka said convinced.

"Of course you do. And that's why this wanted poster is going to stay our little secret." Toph said as she snapped the poster from Sokka and put it in her clothes.

"Bribing him with money. Smooth." the two turned to see Freya on the river behind Sokka, a sheet of ice on her feet. She'd surfed up the waterfall.

"Freya!" Toph said awkwardly.

"I told you to be more careful Toph," she said as she stepped towards them.

"Are you going to tell Katara?" she asked

"No I'm going to wait till you're locked in a prison and you can learn your lesson that way, after all, words aren't going to get through to you clearly." she said crossing her arms.

Toph looked okay with this answer and she walked off as Aang and Katara walked over to Sokka.

"Sokka, tell me you didn't buy a bird." Katara said

"Not just a bird. A messenger bird! Now we can send messages all over the world, even to Gran-Gran." he grinned

"Wow, how does it work?" Aang wondered excitedly. Sokka looked surprised before he thought.

"Hm, uh, I never actually thought about that. Hawky: Gran-Gran, South Pole." he pointed hopefully but the bird shook it's head in confusion. "I think he gets it."

Momo appeared on Aang's shoulder looking displeased as he clawed his hand. The Lemur dashed at to the bird and the two flew around one another and around Sokka's head in a flurry of cries. "Hawky, make nice! Bad Hawky!"

Katara sat mixing some soup before she pulled it out of the barrel and waterbended it around her. Appa opened his mouth and Katara flung the food into it before the bison closed his large jaw and swallowed the taste, licking his lips. Aang and Freya each had a bowl of the stuff themselves before Toph and Sokka moved in carrying more bags of money.

"Well, look who decided to join us. Where have you two been? Off scamming again?" Katara asked as she got to her feet.

"Yes, we were." Toph answered

"And I suppose you don't think what you're doing is dangerous at all?" Katara prompted as she moved behind Toph

"No, I don't."

"Really?" Katara placed her hands on her hips.

"Yes, really."

"Well then, what's this?" Katara held up the wanted poset before Toph's face.

"I don't _know_! I mean, seriously, what's _with_ you people I'm _blind_!" she reminded them exasperatedly, pulling on her lower eyelids.

"It's a wanted poster of you. "The Runaway". Is that what you're called now? Are you proud of this?" Katara demanded

"Where did you get that?!"

"It doesn't matter where I got it. The fact is…"

"You went through my stuff! You had no right." Toph scolded

"Your stuff was messy, and I was just straightening up and I happened to stumble across it." Katara said

"That's a lie! You're _lying_ , Katara." Toph knew, pointing in her face.

"Fine! It's a lie. But you've been so out of control lately, I knew something was up. I knew you were hiding something, and you were." Katara held up the paper and Toph snatched it away, letting it fall to the floor before she walked past Katara. "Don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!" Katara snapped

"Oh, really, _Mom_? Or what are you going to do? Send me to my room?" Toph taunted, stopping and turning to the girl as Freya, Sokka and Aang sat watching them.

"I wish I could."

"Well, you _can't_. Because you're not my mom, and you're not _their_ mom." Toph pointed at the boys.

"I never said I was!" Katara snapped

"No, but you certainly _act_ like it. The only person you don't seem to boss around is Freya. You think it's your job to boss everyone else around, but it's not. You're just a regular kid like the rest of us, so stop acting like you can tell me what to do. I can do whatever I want!" Toph snapped.

Katara lowered her expression slightly.

"I don't act that way." she said calmly before turning to the boys and speaking in a shrill and anxious voice. "Sokka, do I act motherly?" the boy jumped and his Hawk flapped it's wings from the sudden movement.

"Hey — I'm staying out of this one." Sokka defended, his hands up

"What do you think, Aang? Do I act like a mom?" Katara demanded. Aang rubbed his eye nervously at the question.

"Well, I…"

"Stop rubbing your eye and speak clearly when you talk!" she snapped

"Yes, ma'am." Aang said sitting up straight.

"Freya?"

"You definitely like to look after everyone." she nodded and Katara looked more annoyed by this.

"I can't be around you right now!" Toph snapped and she walked away

"Well, I can't be around you!" and Katara walked in the opposite direction.

Sokka's hawk crowed.

"I know, Hawky. Why can't they just get along?" Sokka sighed slumping.

The two girls sat on opposite sides of the campfire with their backs to everyone as the sun began to set and the two boys sat watching and waiting. Freya was meditating as they turned to her.

"Freya can't you do something?" Sokka whispered

"Nope. They wont learn if I solve everything for them." she responded.

"What else do we do?" Aang asked

"I got it!" Sokka said lighting up. "Hey, Aang, you want to test out my messenger hawk with me? I've got an idea."

"Sure." Aang leaned towards Sokka who leaned down to lower his voice.

"I'm gonna send a note to Katara and say it's from Toph, who wants to apologise. Then everyone will be friends again." Sokka said

"I gotta say, Sokka, you continue to impress me with your ideas."

"Eh, it's a gift."

"That's a terrible plan." Freya said

"Yeah, well we'll show you." Sokka said as he took a pen and paper. "Dear Katara. Sorry for everything. Your friend, Toph."

He rolled up the note and slid the note into the pouch on his hawk's back. It sailed from Sokka's shoulder and over to Katara. They watched as she pulled out the paper, read it and then turned to the boys.

"I _know_ this is from you, Sokka. Toph _can't write_. Ugh, you're all driving me crazy!" She ripped the paper up and threw the pieces away before she got up and walked away.

"Told you." Freya said

"I can't believe we forgot Toph can't write."

"Yep, we're idiots." Sokka said as his hawk returned to his arm.

"I guess plan B is, we send a note to Toph pretending it's from Katara." Aang smiled.

"I think we're gonna run into a similar problem."

"Toph can't see or read Aang." Freya said as the bird cawed.

"Sorry, Hawky. Looks like I'm gonna have to do this without your help." Sokka sighed. "Freya." the girl sighed.

"Fine." and she walked off after Katara while Sokka moved over to Toph.

"Come on, we need to talk."

Freya easily found Katara, she had climbed into the water for a wash and was hiding below one of the cliff points. The older girl smiled before grabbing the hems of her top. Freya joined the younger water bender, wading through the water toward her, though Katara looked stubborn as she approached.

"You really going to look at me like that?" Freya asked

"You knew about the poster didn't you." Katara said

"Yes."

"Why didn't you talk to her?"

"Words are a little cheap with Toph, she responds more to actions." Freya shrugged. "If Toph get's thrown in a jail it's not like it'll be hard for us to break her out."

"But that'll cause an issue!"

"It's the only way Toph will realise it's wrong though. Her actions need to cause chaos before she understands there's a line, and that she took it too far." Katara didn't look happy about this. "She needs to make her mistakes in order to learn from them. She can't grow if she doesn't and she can't mature either." Katara frowned.

"Katara, Toph's head strong, but she's always been alone, she's only ever had herself to rely on. Her parents controlled her more than looked after her, she can't see the difference between that and what you do. All she sees is someone trying to control her freedom again."

Katara looked down, unsure before she turned to Freya.

"Do I really act motherly?" Katara asked

"Katara, that's not something to be ashamed of." Freya said placing a hand on her shoulder. "You lost your mom at an early age, you felt the need to step up. You had chores and responsibilities thrown at you, you had to be an adult. Taking care of people is just who you are as a person. If that means your motherly, I don't think that should be classed as bad." Freya said. "You're you, and it's how you are that we care about and rely on. Katara you keep us in line." Freya said smiling "Even Toph knows that, but everyone gets upset when they're mad."

Katara frowned and she leaned her head on the girl's shoulder allowing Freya to brush her hair. They looked up as footsteps sounded.

"So let me guess. You brought me out here to tell me your sister's not as annoying as I make her out to be." Toph's voice sounded and the two looked up to see Toph sit on the edge of the cliff and someone sit beside her.

"Nah, she's pretty much a pain." Sokka responded and Katara scowled beside Freya. "She's always got to be right about everything, and she gets all bossy, and involved, and in your business."

"Yeah, I don't know how you can deal with it." Toph said

"Actually, in a way, I rely on it." Katara looked back slightly interested as Freya smiled, still playing with Katara's hair.

"I don't understand." Toph admitted

"When our mom died, that was the hardest time in my life. Our family was a mess, but Katara, she had so much strength. She stepped up and took on so much responsibility. She helped fill the void that was left by our mom." Sokka admitted. Katara looked at Freya who simply smirked slightly, her expression clearly saying 'I told you so'.

"I guess I never thought about that."

"I'm gonna tell you something crazy. I never told anyone this before, but honestly, I'm not sure I can remember what my mother looked like. It really seems like, my whole life, Katara's been the one looking out for me. She's always been the one that's there, and now, when I try to remember my mom, Katara's is the only face I can picture." Sokka closed his eyes as he thought and Katara lowered her expression, saddened. Tears ran down her face as Freya brushed them away.

"The truth is, sometimes Katara does act motherly, but that's not always a bad thing. She's compassionate and kind, and she actually cares about me. You know, the real me. That's more than my own mom." Toph admitted as she wiped her own tears away. Katara lowered herself down below the water and Freya placed a hand on her head, comfortingly.

"Don't _ever_ tell her I said any of this." Toph snapped, punching Sokka.

"Hey, my lips are sealed." Sokka assured.

The two water benders shared a look.

"It's not a bad thing. It's who you are." Freya smiled, brushing the girl's cheeks with her thumbs to remove the tears.

"How is it you seem to know these things, without being told?" Katara asked

"I guess I have a way of understanding people." Freya shrugged before she cast a sideways glance. "Some people anyway." Katara smiled and she hugged the girl who hugged her back.

"I know what I have to do." she said

"What does that mean?" Freya asked sighing.

The sun was setting and Katara and Freya made it back to the camp before Sokka and Toph, the girl sat petting the lemur as the two walked up the ridge towards her. She turned before the older girl got to her feet and walked towards the earthbender.

"Hi, Toph. Um, I want to…" Katara began as Sokka walked on.

"Katara, stop. You don't need to apologise. I was the one being stupid. These scams are out of control, and I'm done with them." Toph decided

"Actually, I wasn't going to apologise. I was gonna say... I want to pull a scam with you!" she said suddenly excitedly. Freya huffed as Aang and Sokka gapped surprised.

"What? _You_ want to pull a scam?" Toph asked shocked.

"Not just any scam… the ultimate scam!" the two boys shared a look before they collapsed, stupefied as Katara pulled Toph towards her, her arm around her shoulder. "What do you say, Toph? Just me and you... one last go. You in?"

"You know I'm in! Now what's this idea of yours?" Toph asked excitedly as they walked away.

"Freya what did you do!" Sokka demanded

"It wasn't what I did, it's what you did. Next time you want to have a private word, don't do it over a lake."

"What?" Aang asked

"Katara and I heard everything the two said." Freya confessed

"What?!" Sokka demanded and she nodded before the boy blushed.

Freya shrugged.

* * *

"I can't believe we let them do this." Sokka said. He, Freya and Aang were at the campsite with Appa, Momo and Hawky while the two girls had gone down to the town to pull their scam.

"Like they'd have listened to us, Katara's bossy and Toph's stubborn." Freya shrugged. Aang was pacing as Freya lay on the ground and Sokka sat with his bird on his arm.

"Do you think this scam of their's should be taking this long?" Aang asked worried

"I was just wondering the same thing. We'd better check it out." Sokka said and he gave Freya a hand to help her to her feet. His hawk flew off his arm and onto a barrel as Momo scratched at his arm and they all turned to leave for the town. "You two behave. Appa's in charge." Sokka said looking at the two flying animals and pointing over his shoulder to the bison.

As soon as the there walked away the bird and lemur turned to one another and started arguing, They stopped and jumped when Appa growled at them.

The three moved down to the village and through the streets. Everything was empty, no one moved around the streets like usual and it was eery quiet.

"Where do you think they might be?" Sokka asked as they walked around.

"Where do you think anyone is?" Aang wondered.

They moved to the centre of the town where there was a giant metal statue of Fire Lord Ozai, flames coming from his open mouth and to the sky and from his hands, pointing downwards.

Freya stopped and Aang did the same beside her as both felt something, a tingle down the spine. They turned and standing on top of one of the rooftops was the man with the eye tattoo on his forehead, metal arm and metal leg.

"Sokka, watch out!" Aang grabbed Sokka and Freya waved her arms. The shot of Chi energy curved and went shooting at one of the houses, exploding it as the three dived out behind the statue. "It's "Sparky-Sparky Boom Man"!" Aang realised as he peaked over the statue.

"You know, I'm starting to think that name doesn't quite fit." Sokka said as he rubbed his head.

"Can we worry about that later. He's obviously got Toph and Katara." Freya said

"What?!" the boys asked turning to her

"Oh come on. They came into the town, which happens to be empty if you didn't notice, and we came looking for them."

"He lured us here with them!" Aang realised

"But where are they?" Sokka asked

"They'll be locked up." Freya said "I'd say the jail."

The man jumped off the roof and his metal leg and arm slammed into the ground before he straightened from his crouch. He took a breath and his chi shot at them causing the three to dive away from the statue as he blew up it's base. They dived around the corner as another shot came after the three and they were blown off their feet. Sokka smashed into a cart that went sliding down the alley before he tumbled out of it while Freya and Aang landed on their feet and chased after him.

Aang pulled Sokka to his feet as they crouched behind the upturned cart.

"This guy is too good. He shoots fire from his brain!" Sokka said

"We should split up. He can't chase us both."

"Aang, he's after you, he'll chase you." Freya said obviously.

"But that's perfect." Sokka said and the two looked at him surprised as he was grinning. "You two keep him distracted while I find Katara and Toph." he strategised. The three shared a nod before Freya and Aang went one way and Sokka the other. The man blew up the cart at the end of the alley and fire exploded everywhere. He walked down the alley before Freya and Aang ran across the roof tops on either side of him. He turned and shot a blast after Aang, sending him off the rooftop. Aang went flying up into the air and crashed right into the statue Ozai's chest. Freya shot through and she caught the boy before he hit the ground, landing and turning to the man as he walked before them.

He took a breath staring down at them and Freya moved a hand before water shot at the man's head from behind him and encased the entire thing in ice.

Katara, Toph and Sokka stood behind the man as Freya grinned.

"Aang, get up!" Katara ordered and she and Freya got the boy to his feet.

"Let's get out of here." Toph decided and they ran away from the man who was stumbling around with ice on his head. He reached up to grab it with his hands before he swung his body and smashed it with his metal hand.

He turned to find the group, their backs to him, as Toph turned and sent a rock flying at him. The man exploded it and the pieces went everywhere, including one small rock that shot at the man and hit him right in the tattooed eye. He groaned and stumbled backwards, grabbing his forehead before turning after the group. He took a breath to fire again, only for his chi to spark out all around him and explode within his vicinity, sending the man backwards into a wall. By the time he looked up, the group was gone.

"Hey, I got it. The perfect name for that guy! "Combustion Man"!" Sokka exclaimed as they ran.

"Good job, Sokka. Now let's get out of here before "Combustion Man" catches us!" Toph decided

"See? It fits so well." Sokka grinned as they turned a corner. They found Appa and packed up their things as the sun set before moving away from the village and through the canyons.

"Well, I'm exhausted. Hawky, how about you, buddy?" the bird cawed as Appa landed on the ground and Sokka pet his bird as he climbed out of the saddle. "Yeah, you're such a lazy little bird." Freya jumped down and collapsed against the bison's legs as Katara got up to follow, only to be stopped by Toph.

"Katara, I need your help."

"What is it, Toph?" Katara asked as she sat before the girl.

"I need you to write some things down for me. I want to send a letter to my parents." Toph said as she held up a piece of paper. She smiled

"I'll be happy to help." Katara said. They wrote the letter before putting it in Hawky's pouch as he sat on Katara's arm. The bird took off into the air and flew through the sky away from the group.

"Hey, where'd Hawky go?" Sokka questioned.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

The full moon sat in the sky, beaming down upon the trees as a field of flowers sat nearby. Appa was asleep in a small cave and a fire burned not too far away. Katara, Sokka, Aang, Toph and Freya all sat around it in the dark. Sokka was on his feet.

"Suddenly, they heard something down the hall, in the dark. Oooh… It came into the torchlight. And they knew the blade of Wing-Fun was haunted!" Sokka was whispering before his voice rose dramatically and he made spooky noises while drawing his sword and pointing it at the fire.

"I think I liked "the man with a sword for a hand" better." Aang said as Sokka paused. He was lying back, leaning on his elbows a Toph was propped up on her arms and Freya lay beside the girl, her hands behind her head. Momo was curled up beside Aang as Katara had her hands around her knees as she stared at the fire.

"Water Tribe slumber parties must stink." Toph thought

"No, wait, I've got one, and this is a true Southern Water Tribe story." Katara said

"Is this one of those "a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to" stories?" Sokka asked as he stabbed his sword into the ground and took a seat.

"No, it happened to Mom." everyone turned their attention to her as Katara stared at the fire while Sokka looked suspicious. "One winter, when Mom was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom realised she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home, just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice," Katara's voice rose in pitch. _"_ "It's so cold and I can't get warm."" Katara turned to Sokka who flinched away worried "Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but… when every one came back, Nini was gone." Momo flinched and Aang covered his face with the lemur's ears. Sokka dived behind the tree root, hiding from his sister as Toph pulled her leg's to her chest.

"Where'd she go?" Sokka asked

"No one knows. Nini's house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm." Katara said, the fire lighting up her face.

Toph suddenly jumped up surprised.

"Wait. Guys, did you hear that?" Sokka and Aang rushed to Katara and clung to her as the three trembled in fear. Toph got other feet as Freya watched her. "I hear people under the mountain, and they're screaming." she said

"Screaming?" Freya asked

"Pfft, nice try." Sokka blew it off, releasing his sister.

"No, I'm serious, I hear something." Toph promised. They paused, Toph seemed to be the only one who heard anything as Freya closed her eyes and listened to the darkness.

"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories." Katara thought.

"I don't know, because she's blind Toph's other senses are stronger, she can hear things we can't." Freya said.

There was silence for a minute

"It just stopped." Toph muttered

"All right, now I'm getting scared." Aang mumbled as Momo was in his and Katara's clutches.

"Scared of what? You're a bender?" Freya said with a raised an eye and sat up.

"Hello, children." Aang, Sokka, Katara and Momo all screamed and ran around the fire to Toph and Freya on the other side. Behind them stood a women. She moved into the firelight as the three held onto Toph and Freya. It was an old women with white hair, a heap bunned up at the back of her head. She was old and wrinkled and she smiled at them "Sorry to frighten you, my name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night." she said as the three all relaxed. "I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?"

"Yes, please." Sokka said guiltily as he rubbed his head. She turned and walked away from them and the five followed her.

There was a village nearby and they moved through it to a house that sat slightly apart.

Hama let them in and she began to pour and make some tea for them as they all sat around the table.

"Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. You have a lovely inn." Katara smiled.

"Aren't you sweet? You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in." Hama admitted

"What do you mean, disappearing?" Sokka wondered

"When the moon turns full, people walk in, and they don't come out." she said ominously before her entire demeanour changed and she smiled at them. "Who wants more tea?" she noticed the kid's fearful faces "Don't worry; you'll all be completely safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms, and you can get a good night's rest?"

They walked through the inn and each of the children got a room to themselves, Momo going with Sokka.

They were all awoken the next morning by Hama, Sokka being the last to be awoken. He'd somehow managed to get himself on the floor and upside down. Katara smiled down at him as Freya rose an eyebrow.

"Wakey-wakey. Time to go shopping." Hama smiled.

The group all moved out through the town and carried bags as Katara followed Hama around. Toph had a giant bucket on her head, Sokka had one hanging from his sword, Aang had one over his shoulder and Freya and Katara each had a few in their hands.

"That Mr. Yao seems to have a thing for you. Maybe we should go back and see if he'll give us some free komodo sausages." Katara offered as the four followed them.

"You would have me use my feminine charms to take advantage of that poor man?" Hama asked suspiciously before she smiled "I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly."

"You won't have any ash bananas till next week?" a man asked a merchant.

"Well, I have to send the boy to Hing-Wa Island to get them, and it's a two-day trip." the merchant explained

"Oh, right, tomorrow's the full moon."

"Exactly, I can't lose another delivery boy in the woods."

"People disappearing in the woods, weird stuff during full moons... this just reeks of spirit world shenanigans." Sokka thought

"It's suspicious alright but I don't know about spirits. Hei-bi remember took them over night, not on full moons." Freya said.

"We should still take a look." Sokka thought.

"I bet if we take a little walk around town, we'll find out what these people did to the environment to make the spirits mad." Aang thought

"And then you can sew up this little mystery, lickety-split, Avatar-style." Sokka grinned

"Helping people… that's what I do." Aang smiled modestly.

Hama and Katara stopped and the four caught up to them.

"Why don't you all take those things back to the inn? I just have to run a couple more errands. I'll be back in a little while." Hama said. Sokka walked up to her suspiciously.

"This is a mysterious little town you have here." he said

"Mysterious town for mysterious children." she returned smiling before she walked away.

"That's a weird answer, guess she's curious about us too." Freya thought.

The five returned to the inn as asked and moved to put the purchases into the kitchen.

"That Hama seems a little strange. Like she knows something, or she's hiding something." Sokka said as he put his basket down and turned to his sister.

"That's ridiculous. She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kind of reminds me of Gran-Gran." Katara said as Aang and Toph walked int the kitchen and the girl unloaded the basket she had.

"She's creepier than Gran-Gran." Freya said in disagreement as she put her basket down too.

"But what did she mean by that comment, "mysterious children"?" Sokka wondered

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because she found five strange kids, camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?" Katara asked sarcastically.

Sokka turned and walked from the kitchen. "I'm gonna take a look around." he decided. The boy climbed a set of stairs as Katara ran after hum.

"Sokka! Sokka, what are you doing? You can't just snoop around someone's house." she scolded worried.

"It'll be fine." Sokka thought as the others followed him. He opened a door and glanced in before closing it behind him.

"She could be home any minute." Aang worried

"Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble, and this is just plain rude." Katara said as Sokka grabbed the handles on a cupboard.

"I'm not finished yet." he grunted as he pulled on the handles. "Come on…" the doors burst open and out of them came dolls of Fire Nation people. Each was in fact a puppet on strings. Katara and Sokka gasped as Sokka jumped backwards and pulled his sword out to point at them.

"Ok, that's pretty creepy." Aang thought as Freya grimaced at the sight and Sokka slid down the wall.

"So… she's got a hobby." Katara said as she closed the doors and Sokka got up, moving through the house some more. "There's nothing weird about that. Sokka, you've looked enough. Hama will be back soon." Sokka climbed another set of stairs that lead into the attic. There was a door up there that he pulled on, only to find it locked.

"Just an ordinary, puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Then why does she have a locked door up here?" Sokka asked as Katara, Freya, Aang and Toph walked up the stairs after him.

"Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff." Katara snapped angrily.

"We'll see." he peered through the key hole to see a small chest sitting in the middle of the room. "It's empty except for a little chest."

"Maybe it's treasure." Toph said excitedly. Sokka got excited before he pulled out his sword and stuck it in the lock.

"Sokka, what are you doing? You're breaking into a private room." Katara scolded

"I have to see what's in there." Sokka said as he had his tongue poking out and one eye closed, fiddling with the lock. It clicked open and the five moved curiously into the room, looking down at the chest on the floor.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Aang thought as Sokka moved towards the box and sheathed his sword. He grabbed the box and pulled on the lid but that was locked too.

"Maybe there's a key here somewhere." he said looking around

"Oh, hand it over." Toph remembered and Sokka gave her the box. Toph grabbed the black ring round her upper right arm which was the meteorite piece Sokka had given her. She scrunched it in her hand and it changed form into a key. Toph stuffed the key into the lock and began to jiggle it.

"Come on, _come on_!" Sokka said impatiently

"This isn't as easy it looks." Toph said as Katara watched over her shoulder worried.

"Guys, I don't know about this." Aang muttered

"Then go down stairs." Freya offered

"This is crazy, I'm leaving." Katara decided

"Suit yourself. Do it, Toph." Sokka encouraged as Katara turned for the door. The lock clicked and Toph held a thumb up as the two boys moved in beside her, staring in immense curiosity. Katara couldn't help it and she turned from the door, joining to others as they stared down at the lid of the box.

"I'll tell you what's in the box." Hama's voice sounded and Katara, Sokka and Aang looked surprised. Toph looked annoyed as Freya turned around. She was the only one who didn't have her face plastered at the box.

The four turned and Sokka hid the box behind him, Hama stood at the doorway and walked towards them as the siblings and Aang looked guilty. Sokka held the box up to Hama and she took it. She opened the lid and reached in, the benders all looked in anticipation as she pulled her hand out.

Between her fingers was a blue comb, it was blue and white and Freya looked at it surprised as Hama smiled.

"An old comb?" Sokka asked disappointedly.

"That's a water tribe comb." Freya noticed and the four all looked surprised.

"It's my greatest treasure. It's the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."

Sokka, Katara and Freya looked at her shocked.

"You're from the Southern Water Tribe?" Katara asked surprised

"Just like you." Hama said as she put the comb back.

"How did you know?" Katara wondered

"I heard you talking around your campfire." Hama said

"But why didn't you tell us?" Sokka wondered

"I wanted to surprise you. I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big, Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes, if you stew them long enough." Hama smiled.

Aang grimaced and pulled a look of disgust. "Great."

"I knew I felt a bond with you right away." Katara smiled

"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right." Sokka grinned. Katara hit him in the arm and he grunted. "But I'm sorry we were sneaking around." he said

"Apology accepted. Now let's get cooking." Hama smiled a she left the attic.

They all went downstairs and moved through the kitchen, preparing dinner. Aang ran out after the sun had set and to the barn where Appa and Momo where. The boy threw a cabbage into the bison's mouth and Momo jumped off Appa's head to complain about him not sharing. Appa spat the cabbage bak out and Momo ran away with it, Aang and Appa watching him.

The five children sat down at the table and Hama placed a large serving dish before her as Sokka bit into a fruit and they each had bowls before them.

"I'd steer clear of the "sea prunes"." Aang whispered to Toph beside him.

"I thought they were ocean kumquats?" Toph muttered

"Close enough."

"Who wants five-flavour soup?" Hama asked after taking a seat. Everyone put their hands up and Hama rose her own hand. The liquid rose up before it spread in five directions to land in each of their bowls.

"You're a Waterbender!" Katara explained happily looking at Freya who was surprised. "Freya's the only other Water bender I've ever met from our tribe."

"That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one." Hama said sadly.

"So how did you end up out here?" Sokka wondered as Katara looked sad.

"I was stolen from my home." she admitted. "It was over 60 years ago when the raids started. They came again and again, each time, rounding up more of our Waterbenders, and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains. The last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe." Katara got up and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape."

"How did you get away? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked

"I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore." Hama said, turning her face away and shaking her head. Freya had a strong look on her face, her forehead furrowed as she looked at the women.

"We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid. And Freya lost her entire family due to the war." Katara admitted

"Oh, you poor things." Hama pet her hand comfortingly

"I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honour, you're a hero." Katara smiled

"I never thought I'd meet another Southern Waterbender, let alone two." Hama looked at Freya who plastered a smile on her face. "I'd like to teach you both what I know, so you can carry on the Southern Tradition when I'm gone."

Katara looked at Freya and beamed before she stood up and clasped her hands together in excitement.

"Yes, yes of course! To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me." Katara believed, bowing to the women.

"How about you Freya?" Hama asked

"Sure." she said curtly "I'll see what you've got."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Hama lead Katara and Freya away from the inn the next morning, walking through the village, past the buildings and into a field.

"Growing up at the South Pole, Waterbenders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas." Hama said as the three walked. "But, as you probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go."

"I know, when we were stranded in the desert, I felt like there was almost nothing I could do." Katara said

"Not much water in the air at the desert." Freya added

"That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists." Hama nodded

"I've even used my own sweat for waterbending." Katara admitted

"That's very resourceful, Katara. You're thinking like a true master. But did you know you can even pull water out of thin air?" Hama rose her hand before she rose it before her. She curled her hand around her head and water accumulated on her fingers out of the moisture around them.

"Yes, Freya's done that before." Katara smiled and Hama smiled at the girl.

"That's very impressive."

"I've had a while to learn." Freya admitted.

"It's good to keep an open mind, Katara." the water on Hama's fingers turned to ice. "There's water in places you never think about." she flung her hands and the ice fingers shot at a tree. Katara grinned while Freya pursed her lips and looked down at Hama.

 _Yes… some water however you shouldn't reach for…_ she believed.

They moved through the plains until they came to one filled with red flowers. Freya smiled at them as she crouched before some, looking at one.

"Wow, these flowers are beautiful." Katara said

"They're called Fire Lilies. They only bloom a few weeks a year, but they're one of my favourite things about living here." Hama said

"My father used to bring some for my mother." Freya smiled at them "They were some of her favourite flowers." Katara smiled at the girl.

"He must have been resourceful to get Fire Nation Flowers to the Water Tribe." Hama said. Freya's smile dropped.

"You could say that." she said standing. Katara put a hand on Freya's shoulder but she turned to Hama expectantly.

"Are you aware of another use for these flowers?" she asked

"I assume you're taking about the water inside them that keeps them hydrated?" Freya asked and Hama nodded.

"Like all plants, and all living things, they're filled with water _._ _"_

"I met a Waterbender who lived in a swamp, and could control the vines by bending the water inside." Katara smiled

"You can take it even further." Hama spun around, her arms out and the water pulled up from the fire lilies. She spun and the water shot at a rock, slicing through it four times so that the piece slid sideways and to the ground.

"That was incredible." Katara beamed before she looked down. The flowers had wilted and were blackened from the lack of moisture. The girl frowned. "It's a shame about the lilies, though."

"They're just flowers." Hama waved away. "When you're a Waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive." Hama placed a hand on Katara's shoulder. "Tonight, I'll teach you the ultimate technique of Waterbending. It can only be done during the full moon, when your bending is at its _peak_." she smiled

"But isn't that dangerous? I thought people have been disappearing around here during the full moon." Katara frowned

"Oh, Katara. Three master Waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have _anything_ to worry about." she smiled and turned to walk away. Freya looked after her carefully.

"What's wrong Freya?" Katara asked her as she noticed the scrutinising look.

"I don't like where this is going." she said

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"There's water in places you never think about. In all living things, they're filled with water." Freya paraphrased.

"Where are you going with this?" Katara asked.

"Katara, some water sources shouldn't be bended in my opinion. And Hama gives me the impression that she doesn't care about crossing such lines."

"Like what?"

"Like bending the water inside people." Katara looked surprised.

"Don't be silly! That's ridiculous."

"So is the idea of escaping a metal prison built especially for waterbenders, without water." Freya said before she turned and followed the old women.

They returned to the inn for dinner and the two young water benders hardly spoke as they ate. Once the sun had set Freya and Katara followed Hama out into the woods while Toph, Sokka and Aang moved back to the town, trying to figure out how people were disappearing by talking to the only witness who'd survived.

The three water benders moved through the trees as the moon was high above them in the sky, shining brightly in the dark sky.

Hama stopped as she stared up at it, the two girls behind her.

"Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" the old women breathed in deeply. "For generations, it has blessed Waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things." The women flexed her arms and her veins began to pop out as she stretched her arms out beside her. "I've never felt more alive."

Freya glanced around them and then back at Hama, clenching one of her firsts. An owl hooted above them as the wind whipped through the trees and the moon beamed down at them through the leaves.

"What I'm about to show you, I discovered in that wretched, Fire Nation prison." Hama explained angrily "The guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. They piped in dry air, and had us suspended away from the ground. Before giving us any water, they would bind our hands and feet so we couldn't bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution. And yet, each month, I felt the full moon enriching me with its energy. There had to be something I could do to escape." she stared up as leaves blew past her in the wind. "Then I realised that where there is life, there is water. The rats that scurried across the floor of my cage, were nothing more than skins filled with liquid. And I passed years developing the skills that would lead to my escape. _Bloodbending_." Katara looked surprised and turned to Freya who had a disgusted look on her face. "Controlling the water in another body. Enforcing your own will over theirs. Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men… And during the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades. My cell unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything… or anyone." she turned to look at the two.

"That's wrong Hama." Freya snapped

"To reach inside someone and control them? I don't know if I want that kind of power." Katara said uneasily.

"The choice is not yours. The power exists… and it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war. Katara, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture… your mother! Freya your parents!" she turned to them.

"You know nothing Hama! Don't you try and use my parents to convince me." Freya warned.

"We're the last Waterbenders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can. Wherever they are, with _any_ means necessary!"

"And that includes stealing innocents from their home?" Freya asked. Katara looked surprised as she turned to Freya and then Hama. "These people here have done nothing and yet you punish those who have no idea of what happens outside their waters."

"It's you. _You're_ the one who's making people disappear during the full moons." Katara realised

"They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters. They deserve the same. You must carry on my work." Hama said.

"We won't! I won't use bloodbending, and I won't allow you to keep terrorising this town." Katara snapped, pointing at the women.

Katara suddenly cried out as her arm began to twist. Freya felt her body move and her arms rose as if to attack herself.

"You should have learned the technique before you turned against me." The two were forced to stand up straight and stiff. "It's impossible to fight your way out of my grip. I control every muscle, every vein in your body." Hama declared.

Freya closed her eyes and took a breath. She felt the light of the moon on her and she released her breath slowly.

"No." she said "You don't." and her arms moved from her sides and she took a bending stance. Hama stared at her surprised. "I control my body, not you! You think you have more control over it than I do!?" she looked at her angrily and Hama looked surprised as Freya rose her arms, swirled them and water rose around her before shooting off at Hama. Katara collapsed with a gasp as Hama had to block the attack but Freya had more control and the women rose her own defence when she couldn't take Freya's water and send it back at her.

"You're a disgrace Hama. A disgrace to the water tribe!" Freya snapped.

"You'd better be careful Freya, just because I don't have you, doesn't mean I don't have Katara." and Katara was on her feet, her hands up and turning towards Freya. Freya wasn't at all deterred.

"You think you have any more control over her than you do on me?" Freya asked angrily. "I taught her better than that!"

Katara closed her eyes, panting angrily as Hama chuckled before the girl gripped her fingers. Hama watched as Katara moved her arms and stood before the moon with Freya.

"You're not the only one who draws power from the moon. My bending is _more_ powerful than yours, Hama. Your technique is useless on me!" Freya and Katara moved in sync and the water went shooting from them to Hama, who caught it and threw it back. Freya ducked under it and moved towards Hama as Katara caught the water and sent it back at the old women, Freya moving out of the way as it zoomed past her.

Hama grabbed the stream and pulled two more from two trees. The three joined together and shot at Katara who shoved her hand forwards and the entire water smashed into it, breaking as it splashed all out before Katara. Hama stared at it shocked as Freya moved her arms and the water above her collected to move to Hama.

The women rose her arm but Freya moved the water and Hama was thrown off her feet.

"You cannot beat us Hama." Freya said as Sokka and Aang came running up behind the old women, who got to her feet.

"We know what you've been doing, Hama!" Sokka admitted

"Give up, you're outnumbered." Aang said as he rose his arms.

"No. You've outnumbered yourselves." she rose her hands and the two boys stood up straight and surprised. They then shot forwards towards the two girls who moved and dodged them both. Katara pulled water from the grass and Hama from a tree which she circled around her so that Katara's stream hit it.

"Katara, look out!" Katara turned to find Sokka getting up and pulled his sword which he waved around willy nilly. "It's like my brain has a mind of its own. Stop it, arm, stop it!" Sokka complained as Katara moved backwards. Freya grabbed Aang's arm as he shot at her and Katara used water to bash Sokka way from her.

"This feels weird." Freya spun and threw Aang so he hit a tree and Katara shot a stream of water to ice him to the trunk as he stood back up.

"I'm sorry, Aang." Katara frowned

"It's okay." Aang assured.

Sokka came at her, swinging his sword around some more and Freya ducked under it easily before Katara iced his hand to the tree.

"Don't hurt your friends, Katara... and don't let them hurt each other." The ice on the two boys broke and they went shooting towards one another, Sokka's sword pointed at Aang.

Freya's eyes widened in shock and her arms went up to her sides at each boy beside her.

Katara shouted. "No!"

The boys had stopped and Freya lowered her arms so they both did as well. Hama however sat up straight and Freya released her grip as Hama trembled and Katara had her hands up towards the women. She moved her hands downwards and Hama moved towards the floor.

Freya walked towards Hama and crouched before her.

"I hope your proud of yourself. You're going right back to prison." she whispered.

Footsteps sounded and Toph ran up behind the women with a heap of villagers.

Cuffs were put on Hama's wrists as the soldiers held her arms and she was turned to move away.

"You're going to be locked away forever." one exclaimed and she stopped to stare at the two girls behind her.

"My work is done. Congratulations, Freya, Katara. You're bloodbenders." Katara covered her mouth and cried as the women moved off cackling. Freya just stared after her as Katara sobbed, crouching down to her knees.

"Not that we didn't have the capacity for it before." Freya mumbled and the boys glanced at her. "However it doesn't matter, because we will decide whether we use it or not." she said turning to Katara. The girl looked up at her.

"We're not Hama. And we wont abuse our bending in useless, harsh means." she said and Katara looked at her as Freya took her hand and helped her stand up.

"It doesn't matter." Katara wiped her cheeks before she nodded.

"Thanks Freya. And you were right, there are some lines you don't cross." Freya smiled. "You always knew about the technique didn't you."

"It was definitely a possibility I considered." she nodded "But I never considered using it for such methods as Hama." she turned to the two boys. "Maybe to save a life or two though." she smiled and they looked sheepish.

Freya brushed the water bender's cheek and she smiled.

"Come on, let's move on shall we?" she offered and the four all nodded.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

Appa flew over the land before his feet touched the ground and the five children got off. Sokka had a map in his hands as he trekked through the bushes and the others followed, Appa behind them all.

The grass was mostly covered in Koala sheep, all who lay sleeping and fluffy in the darkness. The sun had long set and the sky was dark with wisps of clouds across it.

When the five came to a cliffside where the sheep lay, Sokka looke d at his map and then back at the land before him. Momo landed down on Aang's shoulder, looking at all the fluffy animals before him.

"This is it, the official rendezvous point for the invasion force." Sokka smiled

"How did you pick this place?" Toph wondered as Aang yawned and scratched his head.

"Before we split up, my dad and I found this island on a map. It's uninhabited, and the harbour surrounded by cliffs seemed like the perfect secluded place." Sokka explained. There was a cove within the island that was surrounded by walls and had rocks jutting out before it. They turned and moved away from it and across the grass as the boy grabbed his mat and laid it out on the ground. Katara took a seat and began to pull her hair out, running her fingers through it as Freya lay herself down on the soft grass and Aang collapsed down happily beside her.

"Nice choice Sokka. And we're here four days ahead of schedule." Katara said positively as Toph crashed down, her arm over her eyes and Sokka lay on his mat.

"Wait, four days!" Aang sprang up into the air in a panic "The invasion's in four days!" he looked around worried, his hands baled at his chin.

Sokka yawned with little care of the boy's panic.

"Whatever. That's like… four days from now." he lay down and rose four fingers as he closed his eyes "Let's just calm down, and…" he started snoring as he nodded off.

"Sokka's got the right idea Aang." Katara said as she sat on her mat by her brother's head. "We're here, we're ready… The best thing we can do now is get plenty of rest." Katara said laying down.

Aang looked around at those around him and they were all happily curled up on the floor as Sokka snored.

"Uh… I guess." Aang muttered as he sat himself down with the others.

"There's no way we can win if we're sleep deprived." Freya said yarning "And tomorrow, we can do some bending practice if you'd like? Polish up and get into the spirit." Freya smiled "Loosen up a little." she mumbled

"That sounds fun." Toph agreed as she rolled over to sleep, smiling. Aang and Freya followed her and Katara's lead as Sokka's snoring filled the air. All of them drifted off through the darkness under the starry sky.

Aang sprang up as the others all slept in a panic. He grabbed at his pants, pulling on them and looking at them from every direction he could reach before sighing in relief. Momo sprang up before him and Aang smiled at him.

"It was just a dream Momo, I still have my pants." he got to his feet as Momo chirped at him. "Well, I better keep training." Aang moved over to a bush and began to kick and stab at it, moving his limbs through bending stances. Momo watched him before he lay back down for sleep.

The movement of the bush however awoke Freya and she sat up rubbing her eyes. She turned to see Aang beating up the bush.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled

"Training."

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

"I did sleep."

"Yeah for how long?" she asked annoyed

"I need to be ready."

"You've been training for the last year and that's not enough?" she asked annoyed.

"I need more training." Freya groaned and flopped back against the grass, curling back up and ignoring the boy.

He didn't sleep any more that night and the group all woke up to find him punching a tree and sending leaves falling down all around him. The thumping woke Katara up first, and she sat up as Sokka and Toph did too. They all stared at him tiredly as Katara turned to Sokka who shrugged.

"Hey. How long have you been up?" she asked as she walked towards him.

"A couple hours." he said as he did some fancy foot work and threw a few punches as he circled the tree.

"Try practically all night." Freya corrected annoyed from her spot on the grass.

"I got a lot more skills to refine if I'm going to fight Ozai." Aang said

"You know there is such a thing as over-training." Katara said as Aang panted.

The boy punched the tree hard and a tremor rocked up his arm and through his body before he fell backwards onto his back. There were creaks before all the leaves dropped from the tree and covered the boy. Katara looked surprised as Freya walked up to them and Sokka poked his head out behind the two, a map in his hands. Toph did the same and looked in the wrong direction, simply listening.

"You don't get it, do you?" Aang sprang to his feet and began circling Katara. He looked frantic as he did so. "My form is bad. I'm sloppy. And I still don't know proper firebending." his eye twitched.

"That's your own fault." Freya grumbled "I wanted to teach you further." Katara grabbed Aang's hand nervously and lowered it.

"That's okay Aang. The eclipse will block all firebending anyway, you don't need to know any." Sokka said as he lay on his mat and studied his map. He turned to the avatar. "Plus it's a stupid element." Freya turned and shot her hand forwards. Sokka jumped with a cry from his mat and the thing caught fire, the white turning orange as it burned.

"Freya!" he complained

"Stupid element huh!" she snapped annoyed.

"Okay, well, I still have to work on everything else. I'd better spend the whole day training." he said as he swung his hands around like chopsticks and raised a leg too. He bowed to the three, then to Katara, created his airball and and went zooming off away from them.

"Someone let me know when I should knock him out." Freya said "When Aang stresses, he stresses bad. This isn't gonna stop soon."

Sokka hid his face behind his map as Katara looked at him worried.

"Until then, I'm gonna work a little on my fire bending, because it is only blocked out for 8 minutes and we will need to get through Azula before then. And she's more experienced than me in that region." Freya said looking annoyed and jealous at the fact.

"Yeah but your fire's hotter than her's." Sokka said

"That's not something to rely on." she said annoyed.

Freya spent the day moving through her bending stances and at one stage Aang was staring at her.

"Aang you're staring." she said as she continued, her eyes closed.

"I need to learn." he said

"Great. Come here." she said and she took a stance. Aang did the same stance as her. Freya moved and Aang copied her.

"First and foremost, you must remember your footwork. One of the main keys to fire bending if your stance. Without good footwork, you fail. If your root is broken, you fail. Now for you, it's not as bad, for you have your other elements, but for fire, very crucial, it is part of your basics." she instructed and Aang followed as she moved. "Fire bending is all about offensive. You're forceful, straight forward. You attack and you move onwards. You're determined and direct." She shot her fist forward and white fire flared out of it.

"Freya, battle me." Aang said turning to her.

"I'll flatten you." he waved his hands for her to come at him regardless. Freya frowned before she took a stance.

Aang went rolling along the ground.

"You don't have the energy to take me on. Go sleep." she ordered as the sun had begun to set.

Aang didn't slump his way over to their mats for sleep until after they'd eaten and the sun had gone down. The others had already laid themselves down, Momo and Appa included as Aang rubbed his eyes and fell backwards onto the grass with a yawn.

"Good night Katara. Good night Freya. Good night Sokka. Good night Toph. Good night Appa. Good night Momo. Good night Appa and Momo."

"Go to sleep already!" Toph snapped as Freya shouted "Will you shut up!"

Aang had flinched but he lay himself down and closed his eyes calmly.

The boy shot straight back up with a gasp, dark bags under his eyes as he got to his feet.

Aang moved sheep around the grass into the form of a number and circled them with a bending stance. Katara had woken up as the boy moved and walked over to him and the sheep.

"Aang, it's the middle of the night. You need to go back to sleep." she said

"But I forgot my pants and my math test." Aang said as he stared at the fluffy koala sheep.

Katara sighed and took a breath before she grabbed Aang's shoulders and turned him to her. His eyes were bloodshot to go with the dark bags below them.

"Aang, sleep. Please… for me." she asked and he blinked before rubbing his eye. He looked down defeated and they went back to the others. A koala sheep barred after them.

The sun rose over the harbour as the water drew out for low tide. Aang's eyes burst open and he sat up from beside Sokka.

"Sokka get up! I need to know what day it is!" Aang cried, shaking the boy and pulling on his lips and eyelid desperately.

"What?! Who's talking?!" Sokka snapped up to a standing position and his head smashed straight into a low rock ridge as he had his sword over his head. Sokka fell backwards with a groan and Toph sat up annoyed.

"Relax, it's still two days before the invasion." Toph said as Katara sat up too.

"If he wakes us up at another stupid hour I'm going to make Toph bury him." Freya grumbled, burying her face in the grass.

"Sokka, you've got to get up and drill your rock climbing exercises." Aang snapped as he got up and pulled on Sokka's limp leg's.

"What?" Sokka asked

"In one of my dreams, you were running from Fire Nation soldiers, trying to climb this cliff, but you were too slow and they got you." Aang said pointing at him. Sokka jumped to his feet before the boy.

"But that was just a dream, I'm a great climber." he said pointing at the boy.

"Then climb that cliff. Climb it fast!" Aang pointed at the one beside them and Sokka slumped. He turned to look at it, towering up high above them, and then back to Aang who nodded as he pointed at it.

Sokka walked towards it before pausing and looking at Aang as he nodded eagerly again.

"Stupid Avatar. Stupid cliff. Stupid dream! I can climb fast!" Sokka grumbled as he moved to the rock and began to climb up it.

Aang grinned as he watched the boy while the two younger girls sat behind him and Freya stretched as she got to her feet. Toph took a water pouch and took a sip but Aang turned to her suddenly.

"Don't drink that!" he snapped as Sokka slid down the cliff behind the boy. Toph spat the water all out and over Katara beside her

"Why, is it poisoned?" Toph asked as Katara looked annoyed and water bended the water off of her.

"In my dream, we were right in the middle of the invasion, and you had to stop to use the bathroom. We died because of your tiny bladder." Aang said as he shoved his hands between his thighs. "And you need to start wearing your hair up." he said to Katara. "In my dream, your hair got caught in a train, and…"

"Aang," Katara stopped him as she placed a hand on his cheek. "I know you're just trying to help. But you really need to get a grip. You're unraveling."

Aang took a breath and let it out.

"You're right. I'm losing my mind." he noticed.

"At least you realise it. Now you just need to do something about it so you stop driving us mad." Freya said.

Sokka was almost at the top of the cliff before he slid down it with a cry. No one showed him any notice.

"It's like every time I think about how stressed I am, I just end up more stressed." Aang's eyes twitched and he twiddled his fingers as he paced around the grass. "I'm like a big, growing snowball of nerves." Toph crashed down and leaned against Appa's leg, Katara sat for Momo to hop onto her lap and allow her to was pet him while Sokka slumped his way over to Appa's saddle, grabbing a whole heap of slabs of metal he had bought with the scam money. Freya sat herself down to meditate under the sun and was absorbing the rays.

"Of course you are. That's 'cause you've got to fight the Fire Lord, the baddest man on the planet. And you better win, or we're all done for." Sokka said, turning to the avatar who paced behind him.

"Sokka!" Katara and Freya snapped as the younger water bender got to her feet.

"You're not helping!" she snapped at her brother, walking over to him.

"What? It's true. That's the deal, he knows it." Sokka said as he too stood up. Katara pushed him back down to the ground again.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if Aang fails, because we still have a few months till the comet to rectify it afterwards." Freya corrected "So you're putting unnecessary pressure on him." she snapped as she too walked over to him.

Aang was twitching and shaking as his hands twiddled just below his chin.

"You know what? I've got just the thing. Get ready to be "de-stress-i-fied"." Katara decided as she walked over to Aang and placed her hands on his shoulders. Aang glanced at the girl before she walked him away.

"It's not going to work." Freya mumbled

"How do you know?"

"Because Aang's overreacting and anything is probably just gonna make it worse." Freya shrugged

"Well what would you do?" Sokka asked

"I have no idea. I've seen Aang happy, excited, scared, terrified, angry but I've never seen him this stressed before." Freya confessed. "I got no clue how to calm him down when there's so much pressure on him."

Katara took Aang to a steam bath to do some yoga stretchers. The heat however just caused Aang to freak out about being burned alive and the world following.

Next Sokka tried. He glued a beard to his face again and sat behind a koala-sheep as Aang used one for a pillow and lay before him.

Freya lay on the grass as everyone around her tried to calm down Aang. She frowned up at the sky above her, her own dilemma ahead.

"Two days…" two days and they were to enter the Fire Nation Capital and storm the palace. _Which means… facing Zuko._ she frowned. Freya didn't know if she'd get really angry at seeing him, feel extremely sad, or if she'd just get filled with pain like every time he crossed her mind, or his name was said. She didn't know what she was going to do. She didn't even know what kind of meeting they'd have, whether it's be by chance, or if they'd fight, or if Azula would be there…

 _I wonder what he's been doing all this time…_ Had he just been in the palace? Was he living the high royal life?

Freya's eyebrows furrowed and her expression contorted.

"It doesn't matter." she whispered. _Because he hurt Aang, he almost killed him. Then he almost killed them all by sending Combustion Man after them. He betrayed his Uncle, the person who cared about him most…_ "And he betrayed me." She couldn't let herself get swayed again, there was too much at stake… Someone else would need to handle him.

She frowned. If that happened, she'd never get to find out if maybe he felt a little bad for what happened. If maybe he missed her, or thought about her, or felt regret.

 _He left you._

 _I couldn't match the love for his home._

 _No, for wanting his father's acceptance. Now he has it though._

 _It doesn't change what he did, what happened… how can I trust him again?_

 _You said you'd still be there._

" _You really think…" Zuko began "Even with our differences, that you'd still be around?"_

" _First it's a two way street, you'd still need to be around as well Zuko." she admitted with a raise of the eyebrows "Zuko, you've proven to me on several occasions that you're not a bad person." Freya admitted "And I can see your Uncle's side of things more and more every time he talks to me. I know you're not evil, and I know why you do what you do. I also know you have the ability to do what's right, not just for you, but for everyone." Zuko looked at her surprised "Your uncle thinks you are going to be a magnificent Fire Lord one day who will save the Fire Nation. And I agree. And you might think it doesn't need saving," she said as he opened his mouth "But I, as a part of that Nation, believes it needs saving from it's own destruction. What Fire Lord Sozin did needs to be corrected and Aang's not the only one to do the job. I know you can too. You're the only one who can. Someone will need to lead it and I think you can do that. You've spent three years trying to get back there, and not just for your honour or to have your father love you, but also, because you love your Nation. Because of that, I believe in you. You've yet to show me you you're not worth that. And until then, I'll still be here."_

 _Zuko smiled at her and she placed a hand on his cheek._

" _Shockingly enough you've become important to me. You're amazing." she grinned "You've been through so much and you've learnt everything all on your own. I've never met someone who's gone through so much, and still pushed forwards, despite, possibly having lost everything in the mean time."_

Freya frowned. _Some mistakes though, are so costly._ Freya turned to look at Aang, he was with Toph now and lying on round posts beside her. She began stomping her feet and the boy jumped up and down as the posts bashed at Aang's back. Dust rose before she stopped and Aang went trembling off the side, landing with a oof.

She watched as Toph bashed her foot and something came flying through the air. It was a porcupine and it's spikes sat on end as it sat in her hand. Aang got up and ran away.

 _He's fine though…_

 _And if he hadn't been!_ Freya frowned and she sat up to look over the ocean.

"What do I do…?" she mumbled.

The sun set and Freya lay on the grass as the others sat up and looked at Aang, who had his arms wrapped around his legs.

"Thanks for everything guys." he said but it sounded halfhearted.

"So do you feel less stressed? Ready for a good night sleep?" Katara asked as she smiled at him, sitting on her mat. Aang looked a little confused as he thought it over doubtfully.

"Uhh… I kinda think I sorta might… slightly feel a little better… maybe." he said

"Then our work here is done." Sokka decided and he laid down with a stretch and a yawn. The other two did the same, lying backwards and closed their eyes. Aang lay down for sleep as well.

Freya just stared at the sky above her.

Aang shot up and screamed causing Freya to turn surprised, Toph and Katara to sit up and Sokka to shake his head as he sat forwards as well, drool from his mouth. Appa, who'd been sleeping with his tail between his legs, shook with surprise as Momo cried out before they all looked at the airbender. Freya got up and walked over to him, sitting down and placing an arm around his shoulders.

"What happened Aang?" Katara questioned as she, Toph and Sokka ran over to him.

"It's the nightmares. They just get worse and worse." Aang admitted as he turned his back on them and leaned over his knees, staring at the ground.

"Looks like it's time for another therapy session." Sokka said as he turned around, changed his voice on the last two words and had his beard on again.

"No, that won't help." Aang said shaking his head "Nothing helps. There's only one thing I can do. I'm going to stay awake straight through to the invasion." Aang said before he began to shake from the sleeplessness and Sokka's beard, moustache and eyebrows all fell off.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

"I'll stay up with you for a while," Freya said as she stood up. "Come on, walk with me." she held out her hand and Aang took it before she walked him away from the others. Aang looked around twitching and trembling before he noticed Freya. Her expression seemed confused and slightly tormented.

"What's wrong Freya?" he asked and she stopped surprised

"Huh? Oh, I guess I just found a problem of my own." she said smiling guiltily.

"Problem? What problem?" he asked. She frowned and sighed.

"Same as usual." she mumbled "What to do about Zuko."

Aang looked surprised. "Freya… do you still, like him?" he asked her carefully.

"I don't know what's stronger, that, the sadness over his betrayal, or the anger at his actions." she confessed. "Invading the Fire Nation Palace means I'm likely to run into him somewhere… I don't know if I should be happy about that so I can talk to him or if it means I'm a liability cause I could jeopardise it all or… whether it's just gonna hurt me further." she mumbled, dropping her gaze.

"I'm really at a loss here." she whispered. "I didn't even think about it until today."

"What do you want to do?" Aang wondered after a moment.

"I don't know, a part of me wants to think he's still got a chance, a part of me thinks I'd be stupid for forgiving him, another says he's a lost cause." she groaned and clutched at her hair. She huffed annoyed. "And this is now keeping me awake!"

Aang looked surprised as she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Well, maybe talking to him will help clear some of them up?" Aang offered

"That's one option, another is we end up fighting again, and my anger has enough issues without adding pain into it again like last time." she said "That definitely may not help the invasion."

"Freya, you need this closer, you're torn up and confused and you're not going to get an answer unless you go and talk to him." Aang said

"Aang, I know. But during the middle of an invasion to defeat the Fire Lord may not be the best time to do so." she said "I can't leave the battle just to deal with my own issues, it's selfish. They need me."

"But you're not at peak performance if your mind's distracted." Aang said

"Right and you being sleep deprived and freaking out over every little thing is so much better." Freya said sarcastically as she nodded.

"I'm not getting any sleep even if I do try, I keep getting woken up."

"Aang, your nerves are causing your brain to overreact, your stress is what's stopping you from sleeping." Freya said "You need to remember how competent we all are and that you're not alone, you have friends to help with the invasion." Freya reminded him. "Remember Katara and Sokka are going in with their dad, the only family they have left, and you don't think that worries them? I have to deal with Zuko and likely Azula and you can already see how that's making me. We're all nervous, but we have each other." she said

"But you're not the one who has to defeat the Fire Lord!" he reminded her

"Fine I'll do it for you. Oh wait, that'll just cause more strife as a king is overthrown by a mutiny." she said before looking annoyed "I'm a firebender, it'll look bad if I'm seen overthrowing my Fire Lord… even though Ozai isn't my Fire Lord as I'm not from this era…" she mumbled as a last minute thought. "Regardless the point still stands."

"Fine, I'll try and sleep." Aang said and he sat down. Freya did too but Aang just sat with his eyes open.

"I can't, I can't keep seeing what I'm dreaming."

"So think about something else." Freya shrugged

"Like what?" be asked. Freya closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees.

"Home." she smiled "The wind, the cold, the animals, the friends, family." she listed and Aang did the same beside her. "Remember brushing Bison and chasing lemurs. Playing airball and baking cakes, travelling across the world to Bumi and Kuzon. Seeing the dragons, finding my dad's ship, visiting the South Pole." Aang smiled "Remember all the fun and mischief we got into." she chuckled. "Remember the elephant koi on Kiyoshi Island. The Unagi. The serpent at the Serpent's pass." She glanced beside her to see Aang was nodding off and she smirked slightly.

"Nailed it." she mumbled.

Freya woke up to find herself curled up on the grass and she sat with a yawn. The sun was rising and the others were all still asleep. Except Aang who was pacing.

"Hey Aang, how'd you sleep?" she asked

"Sleep? I don't remember sleeping." he returned

"You did, I watched you nod off… and you didn't wake up screaming so."

"I've been awake for a while." he returned

"Well, you slept a little so I guess that helps." she mumbled as the sun rose.

Katara woke up and stretched as she looked over the ocean and Aang continued to pace around the grass.

"Invasion. All aboard for the invasion." Aang muttered as he sighed

"You don't look so good. You sure you can't just lie down for a little nap?" Katara asked as she walked towards the avatar.

"I told you, I can't go back to sleep." he said, turning to her.

"Aang, staying up can't be good for you." she said as she stood before him. Aang watched her and Freya moved up to him as he stared at Katara before he blinked a few times and he turned away, bowing over himself and looking as if he was holding someone. He seemed completely dazed and lost within himself. Freya rose an eyebrow at the boy before she noticed his position and started snickering into her hands as Katara looked confused

"Aang?" she called

"Huh?" he blinked and looked up to see Katara behind him, as though he hadn't expected that.

"I was just saying you should take a nap." Katara reminded him

"Oh," the boy sprang up to stand straight. "I guess I kinda drifted off into a day-dream."

"What was your dream about?" Katara wondered and the boy looked embarrassed, pausing.

"Uhh, living under water?" he said unsurely. She looked unsure before she grinned

"Sounds neat." and the girl walked away.

"Heh. Phew." Aang sighed in relief before Freya burst out laughing.

"It would have just been easier to confess." she snickered before sliding towards him. "You were dreaming about kissing her right?" she asked slyly and Aang blushed crimson.

"No!"

"Sure…" she snickered some more and Aang looked annoyed and embarrassed.

Aang, having gotten dressed for the first time since he'd been punching a tree, hid amongst some bushes. He jumped out and went rolling along until he leaned against a rock and took a breath.

"Put 'em up, Fire Lord." he looked over at a tree which he's stuck a target and his noodle painting of Fire Lord Ozai onto. Aang launched into the air and shot air at the tree but it went straight over the top and at Sokka. He was cleaning a bronze giant arrow and was sent flying into the air with a cry before he crashed down with a grunt.

"Hey, I'm trying to build Appa some armour here so he doesn't have to go into the invasion naked. He's _your_ bison…" Sokka reminded him as he sat up.

Aang ignored him, his hands before him in a bending stance.

"Ozai's defence is impeccable. I'll have to try a different approach." he jumped upwards and punched his hands down, shooting air blasts at the tree. None of them hit and they landed in the dirt around it. Aang landed and one of the leaves broke off. Aang moved up to the stump annoyed. "You think you're untouchable, don't you Mr. Fire Lord."

Freya walked over to see Aang turning to and from Momo. He shook his head before Momo chirped at him. Sokka, Katara and Toph joined the girl as they watched Aang.

"That's more like it." he pet the lemur's head. "I'm so tired, that for a second there I imagined you were talking to me." he stretched and Momo tilted his head. "Oh, Momo... let me explain." Aang leaned down and began chirping at Momo the same way the lemur did. The animal chirped back and they continued as if having a conversation, Aang laughing in the middle of it. Appa walked up behind the three children to Aang and Momo as Katara turned to Sokka, looking unsurely.

"We need to do something." Freya decided staring at them with her arms crossed worried.

"Aang." the boy and lemur turned to Katara as she spoke. "We're all starting to get a little worried about you." she said carefully.

"You've been awake too long." Sokka admitted

"And you're acting downright weird." Toph believed

"You're going mad." Freya said simply.

"Uhh." Aang groaned before he walked towards them "Look, I appreciate what you guys are saying. But the stress and the nightmares, they were too much. Staying awake is the best way for me to deal with it." Aang sat smiling.

"Actually a better way to deal with it would be to face and accept your fears and worries." Freya said. Aang turned to Momo beside him and then to Appa, looking between them.

"Guys… come on." he said to them.

The four shared a look.

"Sokka, what should we do?" Aang asked as he ran up to Sokka and grabbed the front of his clothes.

"About what?" Sokka asked

"About that!" Aang pointed at Appa and Momo who stood facing one another, chirping and grumbling.

"What's he talking about?" Toph asked as Aang moved over to the two.

"Five silver pieces he's having another hallucination about Momo and Appa." Freya said

"Hallucination?" Sokka asked

"He already had one about Katara this morning, and just now about Momo talking to him."

"He said it was about living underwater?" Katara said confused

"Which makes you clueless and gullible. He was lying." she said before she sighed. "We need to get him to sleep." Freya said

"How?"

"Maybe if we make something comfy enough he'll drift off."

"I got him to doze off last night but I don't know how long for cause I fell asleep too." Freya admitted

"How'd you do it?"

"I got him thinking about something other than the invasion, like home and his friends and all the trips we used to take."

"You distracted him." Toph grinned

"We can make him a nice bed and do it again so he drifts off!" Sokka grinned

"What should we make it out of?" Katara asked.

They all thought before a Koala sheep barred and caught al their attentions. They stared at the animal and it's companions before grinning at one another.

Toph created a platform of earth from the ground. Freya and Katara headed a heap of the animals together and Sokka found something sharp. Together the four began to sheer off the koala bear's wool. They ran and fought, the girls running around to catch them again as Sokka tried to cut at the wool and couldn't keep them still by himself long enough.

The sun had set before they'd caught heaps of koala sheep to cover Toph's stump with. They pinned it down to stop the wool moving and covered it with enough that the earth below couldn't be felt.

Aang slumped tired through the darkness towards the campsite, having been off running around for the rest of the day, likely hallucinating or pushing himself through training drills. He walked through until he spotted the fluffy bed and walked towards it. Aang touched the side, jumped on top and poked the wool and sat on the edge before standing and bouncing on it slightly. He nudged his face on the wool, almost as if he was testing to see if it was real.

"Oh look, another hallucination. An imaginary bed, made out of clouds." he muttered at it.

"Hey! It's real! We spent hours working on it." Toph said as she, Freya, Katara and Sokka stood to the side, smiling.

"We made it for you. A good night sleep will probably take the crazy away... we hope." Sokka said as the now naked koala sheep shivered beside him.

Aang rolled over on the wool to face them looking annoyed as he crawled over and got to his feet before them.

"Look, you guys keep telling me I need to sleep, but I can't, the invasion's tomorrow." he freaked out

"Aang…" Katara began.

"No Katara, there's still so much I haven't learned. I don't need sleep. What I need is practice. Quick, hit me." He rose his hands and moved slightly as he faced her.

"I'm not going to hit you." Katara denied.

"You want me to do it?" Toph asked eagerly and Sokka nudged her.

"I'll do it." Freya mumbled

"Listen to me," Katara said as she grabbed his shoulders. "You've been training for this since the day we met. I've seen your progress. You're smart, brave, and strong enough."

"You really think so?" he asked her as Freya, Sokka and Toph nodded.

"We all do. You can do this. You're ready." Sokka smiled encouragingly.

"You're the man, Twinkle-toes." Toph said raising her hands to point at him.

"Aang I've been with you for years, and I can promise, you've grown so much and gotten so much stronger. You've been preparing for this, and you've finally made it. And you are capable of doing so." Freya smiled

"Thanks guys." he smiled before he yawned and rubbed his eyes. Katara and Freya shared a look before they guided him back onto the woollen bed. Katara laid him down as he yawned again.

"You know what? I think I am ready." he smiled as he turned over and Katara leaned over him smiling as Toph and Sokka grinned behind her.

"Thank god." Freya mumbled, earring a laugh from the others as Aang closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep on his woollen bed.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

Sokka sat in his water tribe clothes, three maps in front of him, his sword on his back and studying the maps very carefully, his hand on his chin as he was deep in thought. He rubbed his brow as his eyes moved across the page before returning to his position.

A cup moved forwards and in front of his face before the blue cladded hands forced the cup into his, removing it from his chin. Katara placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. Toph was sitting on a rock in her earth bending clothes, Momo at her feet while Freya sat off by Appa, who was slumped on the ground. She too had her blue water tribe clothes on and was meditating as the sun beat down on them.

Aang came leaping over the crest in his Fire Nation uniform still.

"Top of the morning, Momo!" he said as he landed beside Toph and Momo launched onto his shoulder.

"Sounds like you slept well." Katara said as she stood to her feet. Her hair was still out from it's braid down her back. Sokka took a sip of his drink as the siblings looked at the Avatar.

"Like a baby mooselion. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord." he gained as he rose his fists confidently.

"So what's your strategy for taking him down? Going to get your glow on and hit him with a little Avatar State action?" Toph wondered as she wiggled her fingers at her eyes and threw a few punches.

"I can't. When Azula shot me with lightning, my 7th chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the Universe." Aang said frowning.

There was a pause.

"You know what I just heard? Blah blah spiritual mumbo jumbo blah blah something about Space." Toph said as she waved her hand around.

"Don't worry, even if your chakra is blocked I'm sure it's able to be unclogged and that you manage such when the time is right." Freya said as she stood to her feet and stretched.

"Are you still focussing on your firebending? You know it's useless today." Sokka said pointing at her.

"It only useless for 8 minutes Sokka, it'll be useful when there's fire coming at us as we're on the bay." she said annoyed.

Katara turned to the water as a fog began to roll in across it and she looked worried

"Oh no. Sokka, do you think the fog will delay the invasion?" She asked as Freya walked in beside her. The girl smirked.

"You got stuff to learn still Katara, that fog's not natural." she said smiling as they watched.

"That is the invasion." Sokka realised as he got to his feet and grinned.

"It was created." Freya said nodding.

Through the fog came the water tribe boats, their blue sails blowing in the fog as they approached the harbour.

"Quick, let's set up some piers that they can dock next to." Freya said to Toph who nodded.

The group packed up all their items still remaining into the bison's saddle before climbing aboard and flying down to the harbour. They all dismounted and as the boats approached Toph and Aang launched several strips of earth out of the water, block by block. Four of them were created as the boats stopped at their edges, people beginning to disembark.

Hakoda walked down the ramp of his boat and Katara and Sokka went running towards him, Katara getting there first and throwing her arms around her father's waist.

"You made it Dad!" she smiled up at him.

"Were you able to locate everyone I told you to find?" Sokka asked as he smiled at the man and Freya walked up behind them.

"I did. But I'm a little worried, Sokka." they turned as the water benders from the swamp were seen walking out from the boat. "Some of these men aren't exactly the warrior type."

"They don't need to be warriors, just able." Freya said.

"Whooo-wheee. This place ain't nothing like a swamp." Due exclaimed as they walked along the pier and he stopped, pointing at a rock. "What'd you reckon that is, Tho? Some sort of exploding Fire Nation exploding trap that would eat ya?"

"It's just a rock, Due." Tho returned

"Well, I'll be." Due said as if this was an amazing stretch.

"Is it just me, or are those fellas a little loose in the leaf head?" Hakoda mumbled as Bato walked out behind them.

"I just wish they would wear pants." Bato mumbled

"Pants are an illusion and so is death." Hue said as he scratched his stomach. They stared at him, Sokka beaming as Freya sighed.

"I have to admit, quite a turn out." Freya smiled as Hakoda moved to talk to his men, gather some supplies, and Katara and Freya went over to Aang and Toph, while Sokka went with his father.

"Hi, Katara." the girl turned as an earth bender walked towards her.

It was Haru, the earthebnder the group had saved from an oil rig in the middle of the ocean. His village had been under ternary and earth bending was forbidden. He now had a moustache and looked much older.

"Haru, it's so good to see you." Katara said, hugging him.

"Hey Haru."

"Hey Freya, how are you?"

"Doing well all things considered." she chuckled.

"Freya got kidnapped for a time after we met you." Katara admitted and he looked surprised. She shrugged.

"Was an adventure."

"Toph, this is Haru. When we met him, his town was controlled by the Fire Nation. So we had to hide his earthbending." Aang introduced

"Katara inspired me and my Father to take back our village." Haru explained as his father, Tyro, came up behind his son and Katara, placing a hand on both their shoulders while the girl blushed.

"You helped us find our courage, Katara. Now we're here to help you." he smiled. Toph smiled before her face contorted and she turned with a bending stance.

"No way. Is that…" two giant hands suddenly grabbed Toph and lifted her off the ground.

"Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit!" The Hippo from Earth Rumble 6 hugged Toph before holding her before him, smiling.

"You guys here for a re-match?" she asked determined. The Boulder was standing behind the Hippo as she looked down at them.

"Negatory. The Boulder and The Hippo no longer fight for others' entertainment. Now, we fight for our Kingdom!" The Boulder said cheering. Toph looked surprised before she smiled.

"Sweet."

The Hippo put her down before they all turned to Hakoda. There was an explosion on one of the boats and everyone ducked as smoke billowed from it.

Sokka and Hakoda ran towards the boat with Aang and Freya following.

There were coughs coming from the boat as well as smoke before Teo wheeled down the ramp and onto the pier, his father walking down behind him and the two were covered in something yellow and gooy. Pipsqueak and The Duke came down behind the Mechanist with The Duke on Pipsqueak's shoulders.

"Was that a new invention?" Sokka asked as he ran towards them and the four looked surprised.

"Yes." The Mechanist said as Teo licked his hand. "But unfortunately, the incendiary capabilities of peanut sauce proved to be a failure."

"You're making peanut sauce bombs?" Sokka asked unsurely

"They're destructive." Pipsqueak gained as he and The Duke's faces were covered in the stuff.

"And delicious!" Duke agreed before they licked the sauce from their faces. They laughed as Momo jumped onto Pipsqueak and started licking his face as well.

"Were you able to complete work on the plans I sent you?" Sokka asked as the Mechanist walked towards him.

"Yes I was and I think the Fire Nation would be quite surprised." The Mechanist smiled

"Aang, my Dad and I made this for you." Teo said as he picked up a stick from on his wheel chair.

Aang took it and blue fans shot out of the pole as well as handles and a foot rest.

"A new glider! This is amazing." Aang grinned.

"And as a special feature, I added a snack compartment." the Mechanist said as he walked up and grabbed one of the handles. He bent his head backwards and twisted the handle for nuts to fall into his mouth.

"Oh well, I'm sure that will come in handy." Aang muttered as the man chewed.

The people all gathered across the floor by the boats and ate some food as they chatted towards one another. The water tribe troops all sat together as well as the earth benders, keeping to their groups more so than mingling. A platform was raised before all the troops and Toph, Katara, Aang, Freya, Sokka, and Hakoda all sat to the side of it. Sokka stared at all the troops as he had scrolls of paper in his arms and he swallowed nervously.

"Don't worry, you'll do great." Hakoda assured and Sokka took a deep breath before getting to his feet.

"Good morning, everyone!" Sokka called before he tripped, face planted into the earth and dropped all his scrolls across the platform. He looked at everyone awkwardly as he collected the scrolls and stood next to a plank of wood. "Uhm… So, as you know today we're invading the Fire Nation." He said loudly before looking annoyed at himself. "I mean I know you know that. Because otherwise why else would you be here?" he laughed nervously and dropped his scrolls again, bending to reclaim them "Anyway…" He grabbed one and put it on the wood plank to show a symbol with writing down the middle "The Fire Lord's palace is here." Sokka looked at it and noticed the wrong scroll was shown. "Uh no, uh wait, uh wait, uh wait." he flicked through three pages, one a map of the world, the next a map of the Fire Nation and the last a map of the homeland. "It's here and uh there's an eclipse today," Tho and Due shared a confused look as Sokka rambled. "And Aang's going to fight the Fire Lord and the firebenders won't have any fire to use so that's good for us and uhm…" Sokka's voice began to get hysterical as Teo and the Mechanist stared at him.

"He's doomed." Freya said

"I'm sorry, let me start at the beginning." Sokka lowered his head and then he looked up at everyone and began to speak very fast.

"Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg. Now I didn't like Aang at first but I grew to love him over time." A few of the troops yawned as Aang, Freya and Katara watched Sokka, Hakoda frowning slightly. "Then we went over to the Southern Air Temple where Aang used to live and then we met Suki, who is a Kyoshi warrior. She made me dress like a woman and then she kissed me—"

"Wow, he says beginning, he means beginning, beginning." Katara mumbled

"His nerves are getting the best of him." Freya mumbled as Hakoda got to his feet.

"...and then Aang's friend was a crazy old man and then Katara got Haru arrested and then now he's grown a moustache and if you look in the front row you can see him—" Hakoda walked up to his son.

"Thank you, Sokka." he interrupted as he placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's okay, why don't you take a break?" Sokka bowed his head and walked past his father who turned to the crowd. "Let me just clarify a few points for everyone. Today is the Day of Black Sun." everyone turned with more attentiveness as Haru played with his moustache. "And I want to thank you all for your self sacrifice and your courage. They're two steps to the invasion. A naval stage and then a land stage." Sokka slumped in his seat beside his sister as Hakoda turned to the map of the Fire Nation main land. "To gain sea access to the Fire Nation capital, we have to get pass our first major obstacle here. The Great Gates of Azulon." These broke the bay of the Main land's water in half. "Next, we hit the land and we hit hard." Hakoda changed the map to show the home capital, palace and the harbour. He hit the map in determination. "We must fight past their battlements and secure the plaza tower." he pointed from the harbour and up to the town that sat at the base of the hill. "Once we do that, it's up to the royal palace. At that point, the eclipse will begin." he pointed up the hill where the palace and main town sat within a volcano, surrounded by walls.

"Excuse me, The Boulder is confused." The Boulder said as he rose his hand and then scratched his forehead. "Isn't the point to invade _during_ the eclipse? When the firebenders are _powerless_?"

"The eclipse only lasts 8 minutes. Not enough time for the whole invasion and the royal palace is heavily guarded by firebenders. So that's where we'll need the eclipse's advantage the most. When this is finished, the Avatar would have defeated the Fire Lord. We would have control of the Fire Nation capital and this war will be over!" Hakoda punched his fist into the sky and everyone got to their feet cheering.

All except Freya and Sokka, the boy frowned while Freya looked at everyone and then back at the map, unsurely.

Freya and Katara had several water pouches and filled them all to the brim. Toph placed a hat on her head and pulled guards over her arms, Hakoda and his Water Tribe men put on their armour and helmets shaped like wolves.

Appa was covered in brown and gold armour that gleamed in the sun, water barrels on his sides for extra water to bend.

Aang moved off by himself, and he had orange cloth over one shoulder and tied in with a red sash, the dark pants still in place. He found a razor and began to shave off the brown buzz of hair as he looked in the water and exposed his arrow.

Freya boarded one of the boats with everyone else and she stared out over the waters. Aang came up behind her.

"Are you alright?" he wondered

"No." she admitted "I'm sitting at a crossroads." she mumbled "All of a sudden I don't feel confident about the invasion, but I don't know if it's connected to Zuko, or that it's my home, but it needs saving…" she mumbled frowning.

"Freya, you don't have to come." Aang said, a hand on her shoulder, she looked down at him before shaking her head.

"I can't do that, you guys need me and I'd never forgive myself if I stayed back like a coward." she said "I'm going, I just don't know what I'm going to do…"

Aang was silent for a minute.

"Freya, come with me." he said and she rose an eyebrow. "Come with me to the palace, ahead of the invasion." she looked surprised. "You need to solve this issue, and it's not going to happen while fighting on the battle field. Besides, if the Fire Lord's with Zuko and Azula, I wont be able to do it myself anyway." she turned to the ocean.

Maybe seeing Zuko would help her decide what to do. Standing around wouldn't, and although she'd give it her all, her mind wouldn't be in the fight on the beach. Facing Zuko and seeing him, maybe it would help.

She turned to Aang and she smiled as he did too.

"Aang, we're ready to go," they turned to Katara as she smiled before looking around. "Have you seen Sokka?" the two benders shared a look before shaking their head.

"But, if I had to guess, he's probably upset." Freya said

"Upset?"

"He couldn't give his big speech, his dad had to cover for him, how would that make you feel?" Freya wondered and the two shared a look.

"Let's split up." Aang decided.

Freya glanced around and she stopped Aang with a hand on his shoulder.

"He's up there." she pointed. Sokka stood on the cliff above the boats, his helmet in his hand.

Aang grabbed his glider and flew up to the boy as Katara walked over to Freya.

"Ready?" she asked

"We'll see." Freya returned. "It's not just a physical battle I've got to face." she admitted and Katara nodded.

"You'll know what to do." she assured

"Let's just hope it's what's best, not just for me, but for everyone." Freya said taking a deep breath.

Aang landed down beside Sokka, his fans folding away as the boy stared at his helmet.

"We've been looking for you. The boats are ready to leave." Aang said as he landed behind Sokka and the boy walked to the edge, frowning.

"I messed up, Aang." Sokka frowned

"What?"

"The invasion plan was my moment of truth. And I completely flopped it. I just fell apart." Sokka said frowning and Aang walked up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Sokka, that speech wasn't your moment of truth. That was just public speaking and nobody's really good at that." Aang believed

"My Dad is. He explained the plan perfectly and inspired everyone. Like a real leader should." Sokka believed.

"Look, your moment of truth isn't going to be in front of some map. It's going to be out there, on the battlefield." Aang believed, pointing at the ocean

"You seem so confident about everything. How do you know we're going to win?" Sokka asked the boy.

"Because I already failed the world once at Ba Sing Se. I won't let myself fail again." Aang promised strongly.

Freya launched up beside the two in a flurry of flames and landed behind them.

"Come on, we've only got so much time and our timing needs to be perfect for this eclipse. Let's go." she said

"Now you're confident too!?" Sokka asked

"Nothing will be accomplished if we sit around here fretting, let's get going, start moving and work with the rest as it comes." Freya said "Today's too important." Aang smiled and her and Sokka took a breath before he nodded.

The three moved down to the boats and the five boats moved off, shaped in a v like geese flying south, Hakoda's in front and the other's following.

Clouds sat upon the waters like mist as they followed the maps and headed towards the Fire Nation's main land. The land curved, far off around them and ahead, through the clouds stood something sticking out from the waters. Bato had a telescope in his hand as he stared at them. Within the middle of the water was a statue of, Freya assumed, Azulon. On either side of him at the land were dragons.

"There they are. The Great Gates of Azulon." Bato said, looking across them.

"I don't see any gates." Katara admitted as they peered towards it.

"You need to remember that the Fire Nation has the highest tech and mechanics, I doubt it'd be normal gates." Freya said.

"Katara, Freya, you and the swamp benders whip up a fog cover." Hakoda said as he put a hand on Katara's shoulder. The two nodded.

"We'll sneak by that statues just like we sneaked by that fire navy blockade." Tho said positively.

The water benders all took a stance on the desk and jumped, raising their hands and lowering them gracefully.

Steam shot up from around the boats and they were covered from view as they approached the giant statue of Azulon.

"Keep it up, we're almost through." Hakoda said

They approached the statue close to its side before a ringing started, an alarm sound and smoke shot out of the dragons' mouths.

Out of the water lifted a net from the dragon's mouth. It ran across towards Azulon's statue and connected to his hands. Azulon now stood, holding up the net on either side of him before fire shot out of the dragon's most and down Azulon's arms so that a blazing hot net sat before them.

Freya stepped forwards as Sokka looked at it worried.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

"Sokka?" Freya asked as the boat's continued through the team and cloud.

Buzzing sounded and mobiles began to shoot out of the rock Azulon's statue sat upon and towards the boats. Sokka shook his head to the duo bender and turned for the steps below deck. She followed as Hakoda moved as well.

"Everyone below deck." Hakoda ordered and Aang and the swamp benders all ran down the steps below the boats. Sokka and the Water tribe members made sure no one was on top deck. Hakoda leaned down to his son. "Let's hope your invention works."

Sokka looked slightly unsure but they too followed the others below.

Freya was surprised, below the boats they'd created metal tank like machines, each shaped a bit like a fish. The benders and troops all climbed down into them. Freya glanced at everyone disappearing into the tanks before Aang came up beside her. They two shared a look before they returned to the deck and jumped onto Appa's back. Freya created a bubble around the bison's head, holding in an air pocket for her, Aang and the animal as Aang took the bison's reins.

The fish tanks swum under the water and down below the fire net, the water tribe boats being left behind. The bison followed the mechanical machines as they moved through the waters undetected. The mobiles circled the boats above and then stopped as the Fire Nation soldiers climbed onboard the boats.

The Mechanist sat at the helm of one of the beasts with Sokka, Hakoda, Toph, The Duke, Pipsqueak and Bato stood behind the mechanist, the water tribe members having removed their helmets.

"You really outdone yourself this time, son." Hakoda complimented as Sokka smiled at the compliment, his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Congratulations, Sokka." Toph was sitting crouched against the wall, her head dropped and her face sickly pale. "You managed to invent a worst way of travel than flying." she placed a hand over her mouth as she got sea sick and her cheeks swelled out.

The Duke removed his helmet from his head and handed it to the girl as he was squatted beside her.

"Helmet?" he offered it to her and the girl took it, throwing up into the helmet like it was a bucket. The Duke patted her back.

"Well, I just came up with the idea but The Mechanist did all the work." Sokka smiled patting the man's back.

"But don't sell yourself short, my boy. It was your idea to use waterbending to make the subs sink and float." Katara and the other water benders stood along the sides of the belly of the machines and waved their arms to push them forwards. "Brilliant! Though your original designs were a bit difficult to decipher." The mechanist pulled up a scroll with a drawing of a fish underwater and people in its belly to move it. "Unfortunately, there is one problem I couldn't fix." he admitted as he rolled the paper back up again "The subs have a limited air supply. Before we land on the beaches, we'll need to resurface."

Halfway towards the beach of the mainland the boat's began to rise towards the surface of the water, the tops poking out as they floated on the top. Appa rose with them and Freya removed the bubble from his head.

"How we doing?" she asked as she jumped across to Sokka, Katara and Toph on top of one of the boats, Aang following her. The Duke was down by the water, washing out his helmet looking sour. Everyone rose from the subs for a stretch and some fresh air, the Hippo reaching upwards and The Boulder turning his torso in a stretch.

The group all shared a look at Freya's question as she glanced around at everyone. Sokka, Toph and Katara faced Aang who frowned as Freya looked out at the waters.

"So, this is it huh?" Aang realised

"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar's alive?" Sokka wondered. Aang thought for a moment before he looked determined.

"I'm ready." he said strongly.

Sokka took the boy's hand before the boys shared a hug. Momo jumped from Toph's shoulder to Aang's as Freya, Katara and Toph moved to join in the hug.

"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle toes." Toph smiled as Momo chirped in agreement.

"Everyone listen up." the group broke apart to turn to Hakoda and Bato standing at the hatch. "The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert and fight smart. Now break time's over, back in the subs." he ordered. Sokka and Toph walked towards the hatch, Momo back with Toph.

"Freya you coming?" Sokka asked as she stopped to turn to her.

She frowned.

"Freya's coming with me." Aang said "I can't take on all the Fire Lord's guard's, Azula and Zuko if they're there." he said

"There's something I need to do too." Freya admitted. Sokka looked at her before he nodded and he moved to give her a hug.

"Be careful." he said

"Promise." she nodded "Besides, when has Zuko or Azula ever been able to beat me?" she smiled at him and he grinned before following after Toph.

Freya turned to the water and walked past as Katara stood facing Aang. He turned to her as well. They were silent for a second before both spoke at the same time.

"Aang, I—"

"Katara, I—"

"You go first." Aang allowed and she smiled at him fondly.

"We've been through so many things together and I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore." Aang blushed slightly "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm really proud of you." she smiled and Aang looked down before he frowned slightly

"Everything is going to be different after today, isn't it?" he realised

"Yes, it is." Katara nodded

"What if... what if I don't come back?" Aang asked. Freya glanced back slightly and then looked back towards the mainland with a frown.

What if people didn't come back?

"Aang, don't say that. Of course you'll—" Katara said positively but she was cut off as Aang suddenly stepped forwards and kissed her, his hand on her shoulder. She blinked as he let her go before he stomped his staff, his fans coming out and he launched into the air. Katara stood blushing as Freya launched up into the air and Aang swooped under her, catching her as she grabbed the front of his glider.

"Smooth." she complimented and he blushed slightly.

Katara watched them both leave, blushing before Sokka stuck his head out of the hatch.

"Katara, what are you doing? It's time to submerge." he called and she blinked surprised

"What? Right, I'm on it." she said, breaking from her daze. She jumped onto a pillar of water and then onto Appa, circling water around his head for the bison to submerge with the machines.

Aang and Freya flew in silence, the water left behind them quickly as they made a double route towards the main land, skipping around the beach.

Freya looked surprised as a growling noise sounded and glanced at the boy below her.

"What was that?"

"Uh… my stomach…" Aang admitted and he twisted the handle for peanuts to fall into his mouth. Several of them hit him in the face and fell away to the ground below.

"What did you know? It did come in handy." Aang smirked as he chewed.

"Right, you satiated now?" Freya asked chuckling.

Aang looked up and they looked down as the dormant volcano in which the Fire Nation Palace sat within came into sight. Freya took a deep breath as she looked at it.

"Have you been here before?" Aang asked

"Years ago." she whispered "My father took me on a tour I guess. It was different back then, the palace was mostly the only thing that was in the centre of the volcano, now there are the houses of the admirals and generals around it." she smirked slightly "It's weird to think that maybe my dad could have had one of those houses."

"Would you have liked that?" Aang asked

"Imagine, if there wasn't a war, and my parents were born in this era. Happy in the Water Tribe where my mother can teach new water benders the style, visit my father in the Fire Nation Capital where I could have bumped into Zuko and everything would have been normal." she sighed and leaned her chin on the pole above the boy as he glanced up at her.

"I wonder why I was saved anyway sometimes." she admitted "Why was I encased in ice and sustained for ninety-five years?"

"Just because you haven't found your purpose doesn't mean it's not out there." Aang said

"I know. Who knows, maybe it's to teach you firebending." she smiled

"You have gotten rather good." she shrugged

"I've tried." she grinned.

They soared over the wall of the volcano and dropped down onto it, eyeing the buildings. They were white walled and red roofed, gold lining the tips. Crashes and explosions sounded from behind and the battle on the beach had clearly already began and fire blasts went everywhere as well as water and earth. The two benders shared a look before they dropped down, Freya jumping behind a roof and Aang soaring down on his glider. They dropped quickly on the tiles, hiding as they peered over the roof tops.

Freya looked around and her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the streets. She found and saw nothing. There weren't people in the streets, there wasn't chatting, mobiles moving, children laughing.

"That's strange." Aang believed as they looked up and down.

Freya's eyebrows furrowed but the two shared a look before they ran for the palace. They skipped over the surrounding wall and for the front door. Aang pushed one open and jumped in, raising his staff and pointing it down the hall.

"The Avatar is back!" he declared.

Freya walked in behind him, the hallways was empty and dark, no lights were on. Aang looked around confused as he straightened up.

"This is wrong." Freya said "No one's here." she whispered

"The whole city can't be missing." Aang believed as they walked down the hall.

"Did you not look around?" she asked. "It is."

"Hello?" Aang called as they walked. "Anyone home?"

Freya stopped as they reached a hall and sitting on the walls, huge and long, were paintings of the past Fire Lords. Sozin had a comet over his head, Azulan and Ozai following him in line.

"Aang, I don't think he's here." she said "Anyone."

"But where are they?" he asked.

She looked at Ozai's painting and then turned to Aang.

"They've evacuated."

"How? When? We arrived before the invasion did, how could they evacuate an entire city so quickly?" Aang asked

"They didn't. They evacuated before we even arrived."

"As a precaution?" Aang hoped

"No." Freya said thinking "They knew we were coming."

"How?"

Freya looked up at Ozai's portrait.

How could they have found out? The last time they'd seen any Fire Nation was in Ba Sing Se… the Generals doubtfully said anything to anyone and no one would have spoken to the Fire Nation about it.

 _Unless they didn't know they were Fire Nation…_

"Azula!" Freya realised as her eyes widened "She found out."

"How?"

"She was disguised as a Kiyoshi warrior in Ba Sing Se, we let her in as she impersonated them. What if the Earth King let slip? Or anyone really?" she asked "He believed them our allies? He didn't know what they looked like? Why not tell our allies?"

"But then… they've had months to plan." he said frowning

"To be honest, if I was the Fire Nation I wouldn't think there'd be an invasion when they thought you to be dead, what's the point if there's no Avatar to lead them?" Freya wondered.

"We'd better look around, just to be sure." Aang decided and they continued. "Where's the throne room I wonder?"

"Well if no one's home then let's just throw some doors open, not like there's anyone to disturb at the moment." Freya said and they moved through the house.

They moved until they found a curtain and Aang jumped through them with a pulse of air, he rose his staff and Freya followed before they stared at the empty throne, no fire was flaring and the lights were all out in the room.

"No…" Aang frowned as he stared at the empty seat. He dropped his glider and fell to his knees. "No, no, NO! Fire Lord Ozai, where are you?!" he shouted it at the roof angrily as Freya looked around.

"Now what?" he questioned

"Go and find Sokka." Freya said and he turned to her. "Tell him, tell him no one's here, tell him they knew, and tell them to leave. If Azula knew than as soon as the eclipse ends we'll have a battalion on our heads. They'll be waiting somewhere, the army and Azula." she believed

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to look around." she said as she glanced at the curtain they'd come through. "I want to find Zuko, and I'm positive the Fire Lord wont have gone far, which means Zuko and Azula are likely to be nearby as well." she said

"If you're finding Zuko you might find the Fire Lord. I'll come." Aang said

"Someone has to warn Sokka." Freya believed. "And I can't leave without finding something." Aang stood to his feet and looked at her. "Trust me, and I'll be back at least by the time the Eclipse ends." she promised. He looked at her before he nodded.

"Be careful." she nodded and he gave her a hug before running from the room. Freya looked at the throne and her face hardened. She had time, now, she just had to use it wisely.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Freya moved through the empty palace and through the dark corridors. She opened a few doors at bed rooms, ball rooms, study rooms, training rooms, conference rooms. She opened the door to yet another bed room and went to move on before she stopped as something caught her eye. The girl walked in and kneeled before the bed, sitting there was a portrait, the portrait of a women.

She was familiar, but Freya had never seen her before, though she knew who she was.

"Ursa." she mumbled. Freya looked around the room. She knew better than to think Azula would have something so sentimental, but Zuko on the other hand…

 _This is Zuko's room…_ she realised.

It was rather plain beside the photo; red bed with four posters and curtains around it. Side tables on both sides of the bed with candles, a rug on the floor. However this was it.

"Are they not allowed decorations…?" she mumbled. She sat on the bed and looked down at the photo of Ursa.

She shook her head and put the photo down before getting up and moving from the room.

"No ones here." she whispered as she stood in the middle of a corridor. _Zuko…_

Freya frowned. She didn't know if she'd actually wanted to see him or not, but now she felt disappointed they were all gone and she couldn't.

She shook her head. This isn't about Zuko. "There's still a battle going on outside…" she said thinking. Freya turned and moved through the corridors quickly, looking at doors, walls and rooms again.

"We have to find Ozai, or get out. Before the eclipse ends." she muttered "If they knew we were coming then they must have a plan in order. I doubt Ozai would have completely left." She ran her fingers along walls and opened every door.

"A palace in a volcano, not an easy escape." she muttered "But a volcano means depth." she continued before pausing. "How about an underground bunker?" she muttered

She looked at the wall beside her annoyed. _But how do you find the entrance to such a door in such a large palace…_ she mumbled.

Freya looked at the wall and glanced around the corridor before she paused.

"That's it."

Freya turned and she moved through the corridors before she found a bathroom. She turned on all the taps and water went shooting into the basins. Freya blocked up all the drains and soon the water filled them, overflowed and poured over the floor. Freya moved her hands before she shot them forwards and the taps burst, water burst out everywhere through the room and her shoes were flooded as the floor was covered in a few millimetres of water. It rushed out the door, it's only escape and into the carpet before Freya moved her hands and it shot for the doorways. It rushed through the corridors, spanning over ever floor surface of the palace as it moved through the corridors, into bedrooms, up against the skirting board and walls, moving into every crevice, every corner and every room.

Freya didn't care about ruining the palace, about flooding it. It wasn't the concern right now. The girl stood standing in the water on the tiled floors of the bathroom with her eyes closed as the liquid seeped everywhere. She felt and searched, feeling the rooms, the doors and trying to find something, anything to help her. She had to find the door, find the secret passage that'd be somewhere in this palace. Find the door that lead to underground.

 _He's here somewhere. He's still around, close by to keep an eye over the plan and the invasion._ Freya believed. She also didn't think he'd leave the palace to run. The Fire Lord running with his civilians, it didn't look right and it was not what royalty would do from her perspective.

The water ran across the carpet before it hit a wall and began to drip through and down a set of stairs. Freya's eyes shot open and she waved her arms before the water waved out, caught her and shot her off through the doorway and down the corridors quickly.

Freya reached the wall and the water dropped her, she could feel it still trickling down the stairs on the other side and she looked over the wall.

She remembered in the Fire Sages temple, they'd opened a wall with fire. This was probably similar, only she had to find where to put the fire.

She grit her teeth, she didn't have time for that. She stepped back and took a breath before she shoved her hands forwards and covered the entire wall with fire. Fire glowed and shot around the edge before the wall fell backwards, slid sideways and a dark set of stairs sat leading downwards before her. The water was pouring down over the stairs, flowing faster now that more room was given for it to do so.

Freya took a breath before the water rose and she went surfing straight downwards.

Freya hit the bottom and looked around as the water pooled at her feet. She looked down the single corridor before her and began walking. Torches were on the walls, lighting it up as she moved, quietly and carefully. If the Fire Lord was down here, she doubted he'd be alone. Azula was likely down here somewhere, guards, watchers, perhaps Zuko as well. She continued quietly, the water that had flooded down the stairs with her following along the corridor floor, both for bending purposes and for her to find her way back out again. She kept it very damp and wet on the floor in order to stop it drying out. They were in a volcano after all, and although sealed and dormant, Freya could still feel the heat from the lava that flowed in the walls, threatening to dry out her water.

The passage sloped downwards slightly and the water ran past her with a quicker descent. Freya splashed through it as she moved after the trickles, careful to try and stay quiet. She jumped the set of stairs that came before her, continuing downwards further and further into the depth of the volcano.

The passage finally fanned out and the dirt tunnel got wider. More passages moved off now and Freya was brought to a stop in which way to go.

 _Great…_ she mumbled unsurely.

She looked between her two choices before choosing one. It would have been easy to send the water off and feel her way but the last thing she needed was to tip everyone off with water running round and underground volcano bunker.

The passage joined another, creating a T junction, and she looked two ways before turning left. This was a bad decision. She came to a river of lava and a dead end.

"Either he's over the lava or this is the wrong way." and she turned around to go back, passing the passage she'd come from and continued on down the passage. She smirked slightly, feeling relieved when she came to a giant metal bunker built into the wall of earth. She looked at the door before her and her hands began to glow red before she pushed them against the metal. Her eyes burned amber while the metal began to sizzle and drip, melting from her hands as she moved them over the metal to create a hole in the doors.

She took a breath as the metal sludge sat on the floor at her feet and she shook her hands to cool them.

Freya stepped through the hole she'd made before she rose her arms and all the water moved forwards to accumulate with her and follow her down this passage as well. She came to another split in the road, another passage joined her's and she paused. There was the choice of left or right. She looked down them both a few times in debate before she went right. She walked quietly before she stopped as a shadow was moving towards her down the passage. Whistling joined it and Freya waved her hands for the water to accumulate around her and she threw it upwards into the high ceiling, there were steel beams shooting across it and into the tall walls on either side of her. The water pulled her with it and she spun to land on one of the steel beams, crouched and quiet as a man walked below her, whistling. He had grey hair and wore a Fire Nation robe as his hands were behind his back.

He walked below her, passed her without a glance back or up at her and she dropped back down to the floor in a crouch, glancing after him carefully incase he came back.

 _He's the first person I've seen down here._ she looked down the passage he'd come from and continued onwards. She came to another intersection and huffed.

"Well two rights so far," and she turned left. Here she came to a set of stairs, the only thing so far built into the passageways beside steel beams in the ceilings to hold the tunnels as they were. She climbed them and continued down the hall. She stopped as the passage opened up and before her was a very large door. It had a red rim, a fire was at the top of it and carved into the base as well. Fires were on either side as Freya stared up at it.

It was the most impressive door so far and definitely likely to be the Fire Lord's chamber. She looked down at her hand and a flame appeared, the eclipse had yet to begin. She looked at the door unsurely. This seemed too easy.

Freya looked around unsurely, she didn't know if she should enter the room but for some reason she had a feeling the Fire Lord wasn't here. It seemed so obvious for him to be in his own chamber. Azula knew they were coming, Zuko knew Aang was alive, and he wasn't the best lier. And Azula knew they wouldn't stop until they did what they came from, so would they so obviously put the Fire Lord in his own chamber?

Freya stared at the door before she huffed and she pushed on the metal doors. They swung easily and Freya was convinced, before she even saw who sat in the chair, that the Fire Lord was not here. The door would not have opened as easily if that had been the case.

She stood and stared at the end of the hall as the girl within the chair there looked up. Freya crossed her arms.

"Well well well, you found your way down here without your little earth bender." Azula was leaning casually in the chair, her head leaning on her fist, her elbow on the arm of the chair and her legs crossed. "Well the Fire Lord's not here."

"I know." Freya responded as she stepped forwards. "Wouldn't it be just a little too obvious for the Fire Lord to be in his own chamber?"

"You must be stupid then to walk in here."

"You're the one who's loosing her bending, not me." Freya said, it was only half true.

"Not loosing your bending?" she said smirking.

There was no way after what happened in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se that Azula could have missed a few things, like Freya using lightning, her redirecting it, the fire that had burst from her in such anger when Aang had ben hurt.

But Freya ignored it.

"Poor Azula, all alone." Azula watched her somewhat amused. "I guess that's why you're in here, by yourself. Daddy can't even try to protect you?"

Azula now smirked slightly and Freya did too as she noticed it.

"I doubt you'd be able to waste away the time of the eclipse all on your lonesome." Freya said. "I must say I'm a little impressed. You seemed to have done very well Azula, evacuated the city, hid your father, kept the invasion occupied with the minor defences up to the city." Freya commended.

"Well I had time to plan it all out."

"The Earth King blabbed then." Freya said, it wasn't much of a question. "I assumed as much when I found your palace empty. Wasn't hard however to find your little underground passage though. That was sloppy."

"And yet you're in the wrong chamber."

"Well it'd be rude if the princess was left by herself, how bored you must've been." Freya sighed

"I must be honoured for you to come and see me just to relieve me of my boredom."

"Don't get too cocky, after all, just cause I knew you'd be the one behind that door, doesn't mean it was you I was looking for."

"What else could a traitor like you be looking for?"

"Traitor?" Freya asked smirking slightly "How can I be a traitor?"

"Zuzu said a few things about you, little bit of a warning I suppose, I don't see why he bothered."

Freya watched her, slightly unsurely. Did Zuko tell about her backstory? Did he admit to knowing she could bend two elements? Did anyone ask?

"He warned the Fire Nation Princess about me?" Freya asked smugly "I must feel honoured."

"Well, imagine my surprise when we discovered the Avatar wasn't the only one to be frozen in a block of ice, but so was the daughter of a brave and admiral General of the Fire Nation."

Freya placed a hand on her hip. "I don't see why that's so surprising."

"Maybe it had something to do with the fact that that daughter was friends with the Avatar. Betraying her Nation."

"I wonder did Zuko also tell you about how my mother was Water Tribe? Or did you guess that by my bending?" Freya asked looking back at her. "I visited the Fire Nation, but I didn't live there, I spent more time on a Fire Navy ship than here in the homeland, back before colonies had really taken off. Instead I lived near the Southern Air Temple, where I met the next Avatar, an airbender, now the last one. Of course he wasn't the avatar when I first met him but a goofy kid. It really shouldn't be that surprising." Freya said simply "Besides, why would I want to be a part of something as corrupt as this? Part of a nation who tried to split my parents apart just because a man married a women who wasn't Fire Nation? Thanks to Sozin, Azulon, Ozai and now you this nation has been corrupted. It needs saving from you tyrants who care nothing about your nation but only about power and destruction."

Azula was smiling, amused by this.

"You wouldn't understand, you're brains likely too small for such comprehension." Azula's eyes narrowed. "You know only of ruling, fighting and fear, you haven't been trained to think for yourself."

"How dare you."

"Oh, I hit a nerve?" Freya smirked

"You're the one who doesn't understand."

"Understand what? Wanting to rule everything? Wanting to be the supreme leader of the world? The only thing you may have succeeded is the mixing of the nations, letting different people from different nations live with one another freely." Freya said "Oh, sorry, you probably don't know the meaning of that word, 'freely'."

Azula continued to glare at her.

"That's why you're all alone too I suppose."

"You think so?"

"You're too much like your father for company, for something known as 'friends'. Too much like your great-grandfather who betrayed his best friend over power." Freya said simply "You don't have anyone who cares about you just like you don't care about anyone either." Freya pouted mockingly. "You instead control everyone. You have no allies."

"I'm not weak to need to have others around to protect me."

"And that's why you're simple and narrow minded. Small minded. You can't see past what's in front of you. Maybe you're good at planning ahead in combat when it comes to winning but you can't see the bigger picture."

Azula glared at her.

"You're small minded because you can't see that you're father doesn't care about you, he just wants a machine he can use in his gain of power. And you let him. Your mother isn't here because she left you. Not only that but she loved Zuko more, isn't that what you think? With no mother to seek love from you got it from your father and turned into a sadistic singularity." Freya smirked slightly "Thinking of it like that you and Zuko aren't much different, both of you are desperate for your father's approval and you don't know any different. No wonder you're so small minded."

Azula jumped up and blue fire shot at Freya but she just waved her arm and it dispersed.

"Wow, you just got hot headed like Zuko. Clearly you're more alike than I thought." Freya stared at the princess who glared down at her. "I think you wasted your shot too." Freya said as she felt a chill run through her. The Eclipse was starting, she could feel her inner fire as though it was being shadowed like the sun. "Seems the eclipse began."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

Footsteps sounded and from behind Freya three people ran into the room.

"Freya!" the girl glanced behind her to see Sokka, Toph and Aang. She turned to them and they looked past her to Azula.

They all gapped at her, their mouths open as they'd had clearly expected the Fire Lord.

"So, you are alive after all." Azula placed a hand on her hip as she stared down at them from her place on the upper level. "I had a hunch that you survived. It doesn't matter, I've known about the invasion for months."

Aang walked up beside Freya and flung his staff to point at the girl.

"Where is he? Where is the Fire Lord?" Aang demanded as Sokka had his sword in hand.

"Hm, you mean I'm not good enough for you? You're hurting my feelings." Azula mocked

"Not like you have feelings to hurt." Freya said earning a narrowed look from the princess.

"Stop wasting our time and give us the information." Sokka said, pointing his black bladed sword at the girl. "You're powerless right now so you're in no position to refuse." he took a stance, both hands on the handle of the weapon and pointing at her ready.

"And stick to the truth. I'll be able to tell if you're lying." Toph said

"Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar." Azula's expression became empty and plain as she stepped down the steps towards them. "I am a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."

There was a pause before Toph spoke.

"Okay you're good, I admit it." She bent the earth and dust rose up along towards the princess who was encased in a conical shape, trapping her. "But you really ought to consider telling the truth anyway."

Azula grinned and the earth around her all broke and cracked before the pieces all exploded from her. Sokka took a step back as Aang looked shocked and Toph gapped. Freya's eyes narrowed as she watched her.

"When I left Ba Sing Se, I brought home some souvenirs." Azula said as she brushed her shoulder pad. People dropped down from the ceiling wearing deep brown with each kingdom hats and the symbol on their chests. They landed before the girl as she placed her arms behind her back. "Dai Li agents."

Aang moved first, swinging his staff for a bolt of air to shoot at Azula. She didn't move but her Dai Li Agents did. They called a wall to appear from either side and close before the four, blocking the wind. It covered the entire cavern.

"Break it!" Freya ordered before she, Toph and Aang jumped and Sokka ran after them.

Aang broke it into pieces and then jumped sideways to avoid another wall shooting at him on an angle. Freya jumped upwards towards it's top, twirling over it as Aang blocked two more blocks flying at him. Toph lunched right through the earth wall and sent the two Dai Li at the walls as she landed where Freya opened one of the pouches around her and shot it at one of the flying agents. They'd turned to land feet first on the ceiling and Freya locked one of them in place to the earth. The other shot a line straight at Toph but she rose a barrier to block it. She sent a stream of rocks rising from the earth and at Azula who prepared herself and just jumped backwards, one foot on the edge of the rocks. She flipped backwards and landed on the throne grinning as Freya landed and shot forwards at her.

Azula dodged her, she couldn't do anything more than run.

Aang ran to join the water bender but one of the Dai Li was running along the earth wall beside him and it launched itself between Freya and Azula, and Aang to create another wall. Aang tumbled and went feet first through the earth before he blasted the earth bender out of the ground and then over the wall. He groaned as he was hit in the stomach.

Freya jumped and Aang twirled his staff around to send air at the princess. Azula jumped out of the way, summersaulting over the throne which was blasted by the air. Azula jumped up between two beams to avoid the next arc of wind as Freya rose her arms and her water swirled after the princess. All Azula did was dodge and run.

She turned and ran around the wall of earth and Freya and Aang dashed after her. She ran between the steel pillars holding up the roof and the earth wall and Freya shot streams of water at her as she ducked between the two as well. Azula jumped, summersaulted and when her wrist got caught by the ice she smashed it with her other hand and jumped to avoid Aang's air blast. Freya pulled the ice from the walls, melting it again to keep up her supply.

Toph chased after Azula with Aang as a Dai Li agent jolted her into the air and through the hole Toph had created in the wall. Sokka had just climbed up to it and he laid backwards to avoid the girl who grinned at him as she shot through. Azula landed and ran for the door as Sokka turned to climb back down and the Dai Li jumped over him followed by Toph, Freya and Aang.

"I can't pin her down. She's too quick." Aang said as they ran for the door. Toph diverted from the two, Sokka having dropped from the wall and chasing them and she launched at the wall and through it. Azula ran through the door, the Dai Li after her and he blocked the door with earth. Freya slowed and Aang went first, blasting it apart. They turned to hurry after Azula while Freya paused. Sokka ran past her and they continued after Azula who headed for a double pathway. The Dai Li behind her was blasted as Toph shot out of the wall and she bent the metal around him as he landed in a pillar, trapping him. Aang ran past her and she ran to go after him.

Freya looked down the hallways to the other side as they other's continued on without her.

"Wait! Aang, Toph, stop attacking." Aang, Toph and Azula all turned to look at Sokka as he joined them. "Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us. She's not even trying to win this fight!"

"Not true, I'm giving it my all." Azula said sarcastically, her hands on her hips.

"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!" Toph said pointing at her.

"Um, right. I think your friend just said that genius." Azula said exasperatedly. "And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes."

"I'll roll your whole head!" Toph snapped.

"She's just baiting you again." Sokka said placing a hand on Toph's shoulder.

"Okay, so what do we do? Just ignore her?" Aang asked

"We don't have a choice. We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow." Sokka said and Aang nodded before the three turned back down the hall and away from Azula.

"It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you." Azula called back. Aang and Toph glanced back at her but Sokka only rose his hand, waving it.

"Ignore!" he ordered and the two continued after him.

"So, Sokka's your name right?" Azula smiled. "My favourite prisoner used to mention you all the time." Sokka stopped in his tracks as Azula pouted teasingly. Sokka turned to her, slightly curious. "She was convinced that you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you."

Sokka's eyes well up and he grit his teeth before running at the girl angrily.

"Come and get it…" Azula smirked, lowering her hand with a blade in it. Toph gapped as she heard her and she rose a block of earth, throwing it at Azula, missing Sokka and getting the blade in Azula's hand. It pinned her to the wall and Sokka held her up against the earth by her shoulder as he glared at her.

"Where is Suki?!" he demanded but she said nothing. "Where's Suki?! Answer me!" he shouted

"Sokka, she won't talk." Aang said, walking up and placing a hand on the older boy's shoulder. Sokka paused, but turned back to Azula anyway.

"Where are you keeping her?!" Sokka tried again. Azula just smirked.

"Guys!" Freya ran up the corridor behind them. "The sun's coming back out." she warned and Aang and Toph shared a look. Freya felt the heat within her and she hurried towards Sokka and Azula. As she did there was an explosion further on and everyone looked up.

"Oh. Sounds like the firebending's back on." Azula said and she swung her foot to knocked Sokka away, only he was pulled back by Freya. The girl dispersed the blue flames the princess shot next from her foot while Sokka jumped behind her.

Azula flipped herself upwards and gripped her hands before fire exploded from them and released her. She flipped over and slammed her for down, flaming blue but Freya reached up with her flaming white hand and grabbed it, dispersing both flames before she turned and threw the girl angrily.

Azula landed on her hand and pushed herself to her feet before she smirked at the four.

"Dad's all the way at the end of the hall and down the secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you now." and she turned and ran away from them.

"I fell for it!" Sokka complained before he frowned, Aang staring off after Azula. "I used up all our time."

"It's not your fault, Sokka. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out." Toph reminded him as Aang walked forwards

"And now it's too late." Sokka frowned

"Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over but I can face the Fire Lord anyway." Aang said turning to them

"No. I don't think that's a good idea." Sokka said

"But I'm ready! I came here with a job to do and everyone's counting on me." Aang believed.

"You're not ready Aang, you can't face against the Fire Lord of Fire without knowing more fire bending." Freya said "Without the fire you would have been fine, he had no defences. With his bending it changes everything." she looked at Sokka who nodded

"The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had surprise on our side but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go help our friends." Toph believed

"I guess you guys are right." Aang agreed as he frowned.

"You'll have another chance. I know you will." Sokka promised, a hand on his shoulder.

"We need to get out of here and join the others." Freya said "How did you guys get here?"

"Toph bended us in from the volcano." Sokka said

"I came in through the palace, the troops are supposed to be there right?" she asked and they nodded.

"Appa and Momo are waiting outside the mountain." Aang said

"We need to get back to the others quickly." Sokka said thinking

"Aang, do you have your whistle on you?" Freya asked and he nodded as he pulled it out. "Good." she nodded "Follow me, we need to be fast." and she turned to move down the hallway. She followed the direction back towards the metal door which was still sludge on the ground.

"You're the one who melted that right?" Sokka asked as they ran.

"Yep." Freya responded. "I decided that the Fire Lord couldn't have left like a coward, it didn't seem right, so he'd have a secret hide out, somewhere he could run to in a siege but was close still." Freya explained "I flooded the palace in order to find the secret exit."

"You flooded the palace?" Aang asked surprised

"Water moulds, it moves through crevices we can't see. I used my senses of the water to find the door and it was in a wall, leading me to the stairs and then down here. Then it became a bit of a maze and a bit of guess and check." She turned up the passage near the river of lava and the other three followed as they began to climb upwards.

They continued along the passage in silence and finally came to the stairs that lead them up to the palace. Freya fired a fire blast at the wall and it opened up for the four to move through and then through the palace for the front doors.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

The four ran out of the doors where the troops and catacrawlers were waiting for them around the palace, wearing their green and blue and removing special goggles from their eyes. The ground was rather dark as the sun was still mostly blocked.

The troops were all staring at the palace and over the top of it. Aang, Toph and Sokka ran at the troops while Aang blew on his bison whistle for Appa.

A buzzing sounded which drew Freya's attention and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She turned and followed the gaze of the other's before the girl looked shocked. Above her were war balloons, the very same that the Mechanist had created in the Northern Air Temple before they'd reached the North Pole. And with them, each War Balloon acting as a guide, were metal warships, flying through the air with the Fire Nation insignia on it's sides and dragon like faces at the front. There were lined up side by side and covering the volcano city.

Appa growled as he came flying through to join the others as Sokka moved straight to his dad and sister. Katara ran to them looking confused yet hopeful.

"It was all a trap. Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move." Sokka declared. "We just got to get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely." he believed as Hakoda walked up behind Katara, holding his side still from an injury.

"They've got air power, but so do I!" they turned to the airbender as Aang opened his glider. "I'm going to do what I can to slow them down." he threw the glider and it circled back over his head for him to jump onto.

"What about Freya?" Katara wondered

"We found her underground with Azula, she found a secret passage from the palace." Toph said.

"Where'd she go?" Sokka asked as he was looking around confused, she wasn't with them.

"Look!" Katara pointed and they all turned to see the white fire flaring as Freya was shooting through the air and up towards the war balloons and airships. "She's going up against the airships."

"Naturally." Hakoda nodded.

Appa growled from beside them all and Katara ran at bison to jump onto his back.

"Appa, you and I can help too."

The bison followed Aang who shot at Freya, Katara in Appa's saddle. Aang shot under Freya and she dropped to crouch on his glider.

"We need to stop those Airships." Freya believed staring at them "We need to distract them long enough for everyone to get out." Aang nodded as they approached one and Freya jumped off of the glider and the fire shot from her feet. She moved her hands to shoot lightning at one. The base exploded and the airship began to dive as Freya shot sideways to avoid the metal.

Aang and Katara shot at the war balloons, avoiding the blasts of fire that came from those in the basket. Aang pulled in the fans of his glider and went straight though the balloon of one as Katara whipped her water and cut off the top of another.

Fire flared at the three as they soared around the metal war ships and Freya landed on top of another. She took a breath and her hands glowed red before she pressed them on the metal balloon. It began to melt a hole and the balloon began to drop before she launched up towards another, grabbing it's fin and pulling on one of the metal ropes connected to it.

"Freya!" Aang swung past and Freya jumped for him to catch her arm and Appa flew under her for Aang to drop her into.

"We can't keep them all back. They're too many of them!" Katara believed as fire flew at them and she blocked with water, swirling the shield before her as Freya dispersed.

"Let's join the others." Aang decided and he and the bison flew over the volcano and found the fleeing invasion troops as they moved down the zigzagging path. The warships were moving slowly behind them and Sokka turned to look as they appeared over the volcano wall. The hatches at the bottom opened as Appa and Aang landed.

"Try and find cover! I think we're about to see some bombs." Toph moved and rose her hands, swiping them sideways so earth shot over the top of them and Appa. Red cylindrical bombs fell from the airships one after the other and they bombed their own land. Fire exploded everywhere including on Toph's protection which began to fall towards them. Pillars shot up to hold the roof over their heads and stop them from being crushed by it.

The bombs stopped and they all glanced out towards the airships as they continued over the top and past the groups, away from them.

"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked as they walked to the edge of the path, watching the airships.

"They're headed for the beach." Aang muttered before he gasped "They're going to destroy the submarines!"

"How are we all going to escape?" Sokka questioned frowning.

"We're not." Hakoda said as Bato held his arm over his shoulder. He'd gotten wounded in the battle, his side having cuts on it.

"Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win!" Sokka thought

"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win, on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together." Hakoda decided as he stood straight and Bato released his arm.

"What? We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind." Katara disagreed as she grabbed her father's shoulders.

"You're our only chance in a long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive." Hakoda believed

"If we're all captured then Aang's caught to, and then there's little we can do." Freya said in agreement "If some of us manage to get out, we can come back, we can save the rest and we can finish the war." Freya said "We live to fight another day, just like we instructed those in Omashu to do." Katara looked at the girl before she frowned and lowered her gaze, crouched on the ground with her father.

"The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners but we'll all survive this battle." Bato decided as he agreed and Katara and Hakoda stood back up.

"I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy but we'll get by." Tyro said, walking up beside Bato.

"They're at the beach already!" Sokka claimed loudly and they all turned to see the Airships hovering over the subs. The swamp benders were by the subs to protect them and water went flying upwards as bombs were dropped. The bombs exploded in the air as Hue grabbed and threw them with his vines. His arm was exploded before one landed on the mask at the front and the entire vine monster was exploded, covering the three water benders in green. They poked their heads out before the bombs went smashing and exploding as they hit the submarines and destroyed them. The submarines sat smoking as the invasion troops stared at it.

Freya turned to the others as Sokka and Katara dropped their heads.

Toph rose a platform for Teo to be put on Appa's back, his wheelchair included. The Mechanist sat him down before he gave him a hug.

"Bye, son."

"Bye, Dad. I'm really proud of you." Teo promised before Toph lowered the pillar, herself sitting with Teo on the bison.

The Duke was trying to climb up Appa, clinging to his horn before Pipsqueak gave him a boost, pushing him up to the saddle.

"I'll miss you, Pipsqueak." The Duke promised

"Take care, The Duke." Pipsqueak said as the boy climbed off his hand. Tyro and Haru hugged before Haru joined those on Appa.

"I'll be back for you Dad." Haru promised

"If we don't escape on our own first." Tyro agreed. Haru bowed to his father.

Sokka and Katara faced their father as he placed his hands on their shoulders.

"We lost today but we've never been this close. We tasted victory and that counts for something." he promised as he kneeled before them.

"We'll miss you Dad." And Katara flung her arms around her father's neck.

"Bye Dad. We won't be apart for too long this time. I promise." Sokka said as he hugged them both.

They pulled away from him and Freya took Katara's hand comfortingly.

"Freya, I'm trusting you too look after them." Hakoda said

"I always will." Freya said before he hugged her, much to her surprise.

"You be careful yourself." She nodded as she returned the hug.

"I think we're gonna need it." she mumbled smiling.

The three water tribe members climbed onto Appa were Aang was kneeling on the bison's head, his head bowed. Katara placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned to reveal he was crying. He wiped his face before getting to his feet and turning to the soldiers.

"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm going to make this up to you." he said to the crowd watching them.

"We're not abandoning you, thanks to you, we can end this war, and when it does, we'll all meet again." Freya said smiling as she placed a hand on Aang's shoulder.

Katara climbed into the saddle as Freya and Aang sat down on the bison's head and the animal took off. They glanced back at those they were leaving before moving over the ground. An airship moved up behind them, but it didn't turn to follow, the lot of them turning to it before looking away and descending into the clouds, out of sight.

"I know just the place for us to go where we'll be safe for a while. The Western Air Temple." Aang declared as he turned to lead the bison.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

The group were all walking across the ground, Appa with them still covered in his armour as the sun beat down on them. All their heads were dropped sadly. Momo was lying over the avatar's bald head as he walked beside his bison, the others ahead of them. Teo rolled himself as The Duke walked behind him and none of them spoke.

"This is humiliating." Katara said, breaking the silence as she walked beside Sokka.

"Do you mean getting thoroughly spanked by the Fire Nation, or having to walk all the way to the Western Air Temple?" Sokka asked as Katara turned to him.

"Both." she responded

"Sorry guys, but Appa gets tired carrying all these people." Aang said as he scratched below the bison's eye, causing the bison to groan happily.

"I wonder how the rest of the troops are." Teo said, turning to Haru

"They're probably on their way to a prison. Seems like my dad just got out, now he's going back in." Haru said sadly

"I miss Pipsqueak." The Duke frowned

"I miss not having blisters on my feet." Sokka responded from beside him.

Toph suddenly stopped, having been at the front of the parade and she looked happy as she stomped her foot down on the ground.

"Hey, we're here. I can feel it." she exclaimed.

They all looked around as Freya moved up beside her. They were standing at the edge of a cliff and the others all looked unsure as Aang and Freya grinned like Toph.

"Uh, I think your feet need their eyes checked." Katara said doubtfully

"No, she's right, we are here." Aang agreed as Sokka looked around before shrugging, not understanding.

"The Western Air Temple isn't on a mountain like the other three, it's the only one that's completely unique." Freya said.

"Wow, it's amazing." Toph admitted.

Freya turned to everyone. "Back on Appa," she smiled and she helped Teo with Toph back up before the bison took flight. He groaned before flying over the cliff and dropping below it. Everyone looked around shocked. From the cliff, hanging downwards were temples of towers. Platforms faced out of the cliff wall, which arched backwards so that the temple buildings could hang downwards above other buildings, all making up the temple. A few archways were built into the rock wall and went backwards, hiding some of the pathways and rooms.

Appa landed on one of the platforms and they all began to disembark from the animal, Teo being helped.

"It's so different from the Northern Air Temple." Teo said. Within the floor before them was a pond, which ran across the ground and down the cliff, more falling from above to keep it running. "I wonder if there are any secret rooms." Teo grinned

"Let's go check it out." Haru decided and he ran towards a staircase. The Duke ad Teo shared a look before they followed.

Aang ran forwards to go as well before Katara stopped him, putting his staff in his path.

"You guys go… I think we need to talk about some things." Katara said, the three didn't wait and Haru helped Teo up the stairs.

"I'll race you, Duke." Teo challenged before racing off.

"I told you, it's " _The_ Duke."." The Duke complained before he and Haru ran after the boy.

"Why can't I go?" Aang said as he grabbed his staff from Katara.

"We need to decide what we're gonna do now. And since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this." Katara decided. Aang responded by putting his staff down and sitting on a ledge.

"Fair enough. So, what's the new plan?" he asked as the others all sat down as well beside Freya, Katara and Sokka opposite Aang and Toph on a tall broken pillar.

"Well, if you ask me, the _new_ plan is the _old_ plan. You just need to master all four elements, and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes." Sokka decided

"Yeah Freya can teach you as much as she can in Firebending to get you started. And she's gotten so well she can probably teach you all of it." Toph said.

"But she hasn't even finished yet." Aang said pointing at her.

"Then we find you another teacher." Sokka shrugged. "Then you can master the element and we're golden." he grinned

"Oh, yeah, that's great. I'll just do that." Aang disagreed as he threw a pebble, laid back and flicked the rock away.

"Aang, no one said it's gonna be easy." Katara admitted

"Well, it's not even gonna be possible. If Freya can only get me so far, than how do we find someone?" Aang demanded, his hands on his hips. The girl in question was simply watching them all.

Everyone was silent as Katara thought.

"We could look for Jeong Jeong."

"Yeah right, like we'll ever run into Jeong Jeong again." Aang said as he lay down, his head hanging backwards.

"Who's—" Toph began "Oh, never mind. If it's important, I'll find out." she decided, crossing her arms.

"Oh well, guess we can't come up with anybody. Why don't we just take a nice tour around the temple?" Aang jumped up and ran off away from the four, grabbing his glider as Momo ran after him.

"What's up with him?" Toph questioned

"He's scared of actually firebending. I've taught him the theory and defensive moves but controlling and producing he's sort of avoided." Freya admitted.

Katara sighed. "We need to get him on board with this, he can't avoid it." she believed. Katara lead the way towards Appa and she, Toph, Freya and Sokka climbed onto the bison to follow the boy and try to talk to him.

"Aang, can we talk about you properly learning firebending now?" Katara called after him

"What? The wind is too loud in my ears. Check out this loop." he grinned before he looped around.

"Aang, stop being childish!" Freya called "You can't save the world by being scared of an element!"

"Aang, we should be making some plans about our future." Sokka shouted after him.

"Ok, we can do that while I show you the giant Pai Sho table." Aang said as he and Appa landed back down by the pond. Aang was grinning excitedly. "Oh, you're gonna love the all-day echo chamber." Aang said as Sokka, Freya, Toph and Katara jumped off the bison.

"I think that'll have to wait." Toph said, they all turned to her confused as she turned to point at Appa. They all followed her indication and the bison moved.

He was wearing deep red with strips of yellow, his hair was down and rather long since they last saw him, travelling down his nose and brushing his collar.

Freya felt her breath hitch in her throat and all words left her. She took a step back in her surprise as the scared face she knew well stood before her.

Zuko was standing there, smiling at them.

Katara gapped surprised before looking angry, Aang looked surprised as well while Sokka looked annoyed, glaring at the boy.

"Hello, Zuko here." he said raising his hand in a wave.

Freya felt frozen.

Aang rose his staff, Katara took a stance to draw her water, Toph rose her arms and Sokka reached for his boomerang.

"Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so I just thought I'd wait for you here." Zuko said casually. Appa walked up to Zuko before he growled at the boy, causing him to flinch before the bison licked him. Everyone loosened up surprised as Freya stared. "I know you must be surprised to see me here." Zuko said groaning as Appa licked his face and he wiped it away.

"Not really, since you've followed us all over the world." Sokka reminded him.

"Right… Well, uh… anyway," Zuko said awkwardly as he ignored the statement. "What I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I… uh, I'm good now." he said lamely "And, well, I think I should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending... to you." Aang looked surprised and he glanced at Freya beside him. She hadn't moved. "See, I uh…"

"You want to what now?!" Toph asked surprised as Katara looked unsure and Sokka's eyes were wide open.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?" Katara demanded as everyone turned unsure and annoyed he'd even consider the option.

"Yeah, all you've ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang." Sokka snapped.

"I've done some good things. I've saved Freya's life enough times, like against Zhao!" he pointed at her. She said nothing, but there was something in her face as Katara looked at her. Freya felt the pain in her chest, the scenes of what had happened in Ba Sing Se came back to her, him fighting her, wanting so desperately to get past her. Aang being almost killed because he'd helped Azula and stopped them from escaping. Him directing lightning at her… but pointing it away.

She managed to take a breath.

"You mean before you betrayed her and broke her into pieces!" Katara snapped back angrily. Zuko looked down at the words and glanced at her as Freya pursed her lips, the only movement she seemed so far to be able to make.

"And kidnapped her in the first place!" Sokka added

"Well, I mean, I could've stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something." Zuko said, pointing to the bison. "Or even when Freya came looking for my uncle to learn Firebending." The others looked at Freya who winced at their shocked and annoyed faces. Appa however licked Zuko again.

"Appa does seem to like him." Toph said

"Freya saved Appa." Katara snapped.

Freya took a breath and opened her mouth but nothing happened. She licked her lips and closed her eyes momentarily before managing to find her voice.

"Actually Zuko found him first and released him for me." she mumbled and they turned to her surprised.

Zuko lowered his gaze frowning. "I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past." he said

"Like when you attacked our village?" Sokka asked

"Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?" Katara added

"Look, I admit I've done some awful things. I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. I'm sorry I kidnapped you Freya, I realised I never apologised for that." She stared at him, somewhat surprised but he turned to the others as they looked angrily at him. "And I never should've sent that Fire Nation assassin after you. I'm gonna try to stop him—"

"Wait, you really did send Combustion Man after us?" Sokka snapped as Toph looked surprised and the boy drew his boomerang, pointing it at Zuko. "And here I thought Freya was making guesses!" Zuko looked surprised at Freya before turning back to Sokka.

"Well, that's not his name, but…" he said

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your friend." Sokka mocked

"He's not my friend!" Zuko snapped

"That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up." Toph snapped, pointing at the man.

Zuko sighed and lowered his head in shame before he turned to Aang, who hadn't said anything.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends." Aang looked surprised before turning his gaze from the boy. "You know I have good in me. And Freya, you're the one who told me this was my purpose, you told me again and again you believed in me and that you'd still be here." Everyone looked at her as she frowned, grabbing her elbow with her other hand.

"You do not get to talk to her after everything you put her through!" Katara snapped angrily.

Aang looked from Katara to Freya who shared his look. She was so unsure. He turned to Sokka who shook his head before looking back at Zuko.

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us." Zuko's expression looked upset and almost surprised

"You need to get out of here, now." Katara demanded.

Zuko closed his eyes for a moment before staring at them determined and taking a few steps forwards. Freya stepped back.

"I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore."

Sokka stepped forwards, his boomerang raised. "Either you leave, or we attack."

He looked at them all again, his eyes resting on Freya the longest.

"If you won't accept me as a friend," he kneeled down and held his arms out towards them, wrists exposed. "Then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner."

"No, we won't!" Katara shouted before she thrusted water at the boy and sent him tumbling backwards away from them. Freya looked worried and took a step forwards as Zuko looked up at them from the puddle, now sopping wet and aghast. She caught herself in the action and the hand she'd risen in worry she lowered again.

"Get out of here and don't come back. And if we ever see you again… Well, we'd better not see you again!" Katara snapped lamely.

Water dripped from Zuko's hair, which fell down the sides of his face and down his nose. The boy dropped his head sadly before he got to his feet. Aang, Katara and Sokka glared at him as he turned, his eyes landing on Freya who had her lip between her teeth. She was back behind the three with Toph, who was also turned away from Zuko.

Zuko turned and walked off as the three watched him and Aang turned his expression away, almost looking unsure.

Freya sat herself down on the floor and put her face into her hands, breathing deeply to calm herself.

"Why would he try to fool us like that?" Katara demanded

"Obviously, he wants to lead us into some kind of trap." Sokka believed as he moved to Appa and began to unload.

"This is just like when we were in prison together in Ba Sing Se. He starts talking about his mother, and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings." Katara snapped as she and Sokka had their sleeping mats in their hands, handed to her by Sokka who jumped down.

Freya felt heat well up inside her angrily.

"Are you kidding me Katara!" Freya snapped and the three turned to her surprised. "He is a human being and he does has feelings. You know what," she got to her feet "That is the exact kind of thing I'd expect Ozai to say." and Katara looked surprised and hurt.

"Freya don't fall for him again." Sokka said walking towards her "He wants you to trust him and feel sorry for him, so you let your guard down, _then_ he strikes." Freya turned her expression away annoyed and said nothing.

"The thing is, it worked. I did feel sorry for him. I felt like he was really confused and hurt." Katara said, glancing at Freya before she kneeled down, putting down her mat and standing again. "But obviously when the time came, he made his choice, and we paid the price. We can't trust him." she said strongly, pointing at Aang.

"I kind of have a confession to make. Remember when you two were sick and I got captured by Zhao?" Aang asked, turning to the two.

"And you made us suck on frozen frogs? How could I forget? I had a wart on the flap that hangs down from the back of my throat for a month!" Sokka snapped, throwing down his mat and pointing into his open mouth.

"Sokka, I looked at it and told you there was nothing there." Katara said annoyed as Sokka turned to her with his open mouth.

"I could feel it! It's my throatal flap." Sokka complained

"Anyway, when Zhao had me chained up, it was Zuko who came in and got me out. He risked his life to save me." Aang admitted

"No way, I'm sure he only did it so he could capture you himself." Katara disagreed.

"I don't think so, Zuko snuck off the ship and didn't tell anyone where he was going. I went looking for him and when he did return it took a lot for me to get the answer from him as to where he'd been," Freya said sighing. "But you wanna talk about confessions, how about the fact that Zuko saved me from Zhao, and wished to save me from drowning, and that I helped him escape the North Pole with Iroh, and I went to find him when Aang first started earth bending to learn fire bending better, and that I stopped him from getting struck by lightning, and then I snuck around Ba Sing Se to see him over and over again…" she mumbled before sighing and everyone looked at her. "And he did save Appa, not me, though he needed a little persuasion, the choice was his own." she added. "Made him very sick and he got a fever and then he was like a completely different person." she mumbled.

"He was just trying to convince you." Sokka snapped

Freya shrugged and said nothing. They all shared another look as she avoided their gazes.

"Not only that but considering his messed-up family, and how he was raised, he could've turned out a lot worse." Toph agreed

"You're right, Toph, let's go find him and give him a medal. The "not as much of a jerk as you could have been" award." Katara said throwing her hands up as she was sarcastic.

"All I know is that while he was talking to us, he was sincere. Maybe you're all just letting your hurt feelings keep you from thinking clearly. At least Freya's trying not to, I could feel her shaking as he spoke and she tried to figure out what to do." Toph offered.

"Thanks Toph." Freya grumbled

"Easy for you to say, you weren't there when he had us attacked by pirates." Katara snapped

"Or when he burned down Kiyoshi Island." Sokka added

"Or when he tried to capture me at the fire temple and captured Freya." Aang said annoyed

"I survived." Freya added.

"Why would you even try to defend him?" Katara demanded

"Because Katara, you're all ignoring one crucial fact. Aang and Freya need a firebending teacher." Toph said as she walked over to him and pointed at the Avatar. "We can't think of a single person in the world to do the job. Now one shows up on a silver platter, and you won't even think about it?" she stomped her feet on the ground in frustration.

Katara turned her gaze away.

"I'm not having Zuko as my teacher." Aang said walking over to the siblings.

"You're darn right you're not, buddy." Sokka agreed

"Well, I guess that's settled. And we're not putting Freya through any of that." Katara said

"That's my decision to make, not yours Katara." Freya said strongly and the younger water bender looked surprised as Freya got up and turned, walking away.

Toph groaned in annoyance. "I'm beginning to wonder who's really the blind one around here." she said before storming off.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

Freya sat on one of the towers protruding from the cliff ceiling and stared out as the sun had set and darkness had set in.

"How does this happen?" she whispered. "I finally seem to have a grip on things and…" she closed her eyes. _Did I have a grip on things though?_ she remembered the days leading up the eclipse, waiting for the invasion to arrive. Her worries of what to do when she saw him, her sleepless nights. Now she was even more lost. He'd turned up, wanting to do the right thing, wanting to help Aang. She had no idea how to think or feel. He'd gone too far, he'd hurt Aang…

 _But now he's realised?_ she frowned, unsure, confused.

" _You know I have good in me. And Freya, you're the one who told me this was my purpose, you told me again and again you believed in me and that you'd still be here." Everyone looked at her as she frowned, grabbing her elbow with her other hand._

" _You do not get to talk to her after everything you put her through!" Katara snapped angrily._

 _Aang looked from Katara to Freya who shared his look. She was so unsure. He turned to Sokka who shook his head before looking back at Zuko._

" _There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us." Zuko's expression looked upset and almost surprised_

" _You need to get out of here, now." Katara demanded._

 _Zuko closed his eyes for a moment before staring at them determined and taking a few steps forwards._

" _I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore." Sokka stepped forwards, his boomerang raised._

 _He seemed so sad and disappointed._ Freya frowned _He's trying to make up for his mistakes… he's trying to be who you knew he could be. And you were right, he went home and realised it wasn't what he wanted or what he needed. You knew him so well._

She closed her eyes. "That was what I expected him to have done…" she whispered. _Change his mind after he went home._ "And here he is, proving you right…" she mumbled.

She leaned her head into her knees frowning.

"The others don't want him…" she mumbled.

 _But you know you do._

 _But after everything he did?_

 _He can't change if you don't let him._

 _I've tried!_ Freya sighed.

"We need him…" she reasoned. "I need to finish my fire bending, and who better than the fire prince to help?" she sounded like she was trying to convince someone. "Can I have him around though? After Ba Sing Se…?

 _He didn't fire the lightning at you._ "What does that mean… he wasn't willing to hurt me but he was Aang…?" she pursed her lips. _He's not the one who hurt Aang._ Freya groaned and knocked her head against her knees.

 _I want him to be telling the truth, and wanting to help and stay with us. I want that! But… can I trust that this time he's different, that he's finally leaning towards Roku and not Sozin?_ Freya frowned.

"And if I decide to agree with him being here… how do I convince the others?"She questioned. _Toph wont be hard… but they'll think I'm letting my feelings get in the way._ Freya scoffed. They weren't?

She sighed again.

"But…" she placed a hand over her chest gently. _Remember, you can't learn from your mistakes if you don't make them…_ Freya sighed again and ground her teeth annoyed.

"Why is this so hard!" she demanded angrily. She pushed herself off and fell downwards before fire launched from her feet and she went towards one of the platforms, landing and walking off through the temple. The girl crashed onto her bed in her room and stared at the ceiling.

"Another good question… where's Iroh?" the girl muttered before she yawned and curled herself up on her pillow. "I can't leave him alone." she believed.

But was going to find Zuko going to do any help, or was she just going to break?

 _I don't want to feel that again…_ she whispered _I don't want that pain…_ she closed her eyes. She knew she was scared, more than she was angry and it caused her hesitation. She knew the right thing, she had to talk to the others, and to Zuko and get him to understand, all of them, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She was scared he'd leave her again.

 _I'm such a baby._ she complained to herself.

* * *

Katara was serving up rice the following morning, putting it into a bowls for breakfast as everyone crowded around her, waiting their turn.

"Has anyone seen Toph?" she asked as Freya walked out, yawning, for once not being the first awake. The Duke took the bowl from Katara as Sokka yawned and rubbed his back.

"I haven't seen her since she stormed off yesterday." Sokka admitted as Katara grabbed another bowl to fill.

"Maybe she's just exploring the air temple. There are some pretty fun spots to practice earthbending." Haru admitted

"I think we should go look for her." Katara said worried

"Oh, let her have fun with her rocks. I'm in no rush to have her yelling at us again." Sokka said as he sat down opposite his sister

"We can go check for her." The Duke smiled as Teo moved past him.

"Yeah, I want to ride that tunnel down to the hall of statues again. It'll work a lot better now that I fixed my brakes." he said, fiddling with it before wheeling himself off. Haru and The Duke ran after the boy as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

They watched them go before the entire temple shook and suddenly there was a rock avalanche around one of the corners. The four all turned before getting up and running around the corner. There was a hole in the wall and from it came Toph, falling face first and tumbling along the rocks she'd clearly knocked out of the way in order to exit her tunnel. She groaned as she hit the ground.

"Toph, what happened?" Katara questioned

"My feet got burned." Toph said as she crawled forwards and the four ran towards her, Katara and Freya around to the back of her, looking at her feet that were in the air. They were red with burns and already scabbing slightly.

"Oh, no, what happened?" Katara repeated as she kneeled down.

"I just told you, my feet got burned." Toph said slightly annoyed

"I meant how." Katara said

"Well, I kind of went to see Zuko last night." Toph admitted

"You what!?" Aang questioned

"Zuko?" Katara got back to her feet again

"Ugh!" Sokka groaned as Freya blinked surprised.

"I just thought he could be helpful to us. And if I talked to him, maybe we could work something out." Toph said as Katara pulled water from her pouch and covered Toph's feet with it.

"So he attacked you?" Sokka asked in a strong voice

"Well, he did and he didn't. It was sort of an accident." Toph admitted

"But he _did_ firebend at you?" Aang said

"Yes." Toph admitted, sighing in defeated.

"Did you sneak up on him?" Freya asked

"Yes." Toph said again.

"Well that was smart, he's sleeping in the woods right?" Toph looked at her slightly annoyed.

"Don't defend him Freya!" Sokka snapped

"I'm just pointing out that I would have gotten defensive if someone snuck up on me while I was alone in the woods. Especially if I'm a traitor to my nation and only a boat's ride away from its army." Freya said

"It doesn't matter, you trusted Zuko and you got burned... literally." Sokka said pointing to Toph.

"She didn't technically trust him." Freya grumbled

"It's gonna take a while for your feet to get better. I wish I could've worked on them sooner." Katara said as she took the water back.

"Yeah, me too." Toph sighed

"Zuko's clearly too dangerous to be left alone. We're gonna have to go after him." Sokka believed

"I hate to go looking for a fight, but you're right. After what he did to Toph, I don't think we have a choice." Aang agreed as he walked forwards.

"He's crafty, but we'll find a way to capture him." Sokka believed, following Aang.

"Maybe just invite him back here. He's already offered himself up as a prisoner once." Toph reminded him as she turned over to sit up and Sokka and Aang moved to pick her up.

"Yeah... get him to come back and say he'll be our prisoner. Then we'll jump him and _really_ make him our prisoner. He'll never suspect it." Sokka grinned as he and Aang walked over to the fountain.

"You are a master of surprise, Sokka." Katara said sarcastically.

"The other option is to send Freya, she can defend against Fire better than us." Sokka said

"That wont get you what you want though." Freya believed slightly annoyed as Toph's feet were placed in the cool water.

"Ahh, that's the stuff. Now I know how the rest of you guys feel. Not being able to see with your feet stinks." Toph believed as Katara sat beside her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Aang walked to get some cloths and he handed them to Katara to bandage Toph's feet.

Freya watched the girls before she felt a shiver up her spine.

She turned to see Zuko swinging on a vine and towards another. Her eyes widened as she saw the assassin Combustion Man. A shot fired from his head as Zuko crashed into him and the shoot of chi went astray.

Freya rose and waved her arms and water jumped out of the fountain, surprising the others as it iced before and above them. The entire building shook as the roof above them exploded and rocks and stone fell down, crashing into the hard ice. They all ducked and covered their heads with their arms before Freya pulled the water back and moved forwards.

Aang and Sokka moved to grab Toph as they went to move.

"Stop!" The others looked up at Zuko's voice. "I don't want you hunting the Avatar anymore." Combustion Man ignored him and turned back to them as Aang looked up surprised. "The mission is off. I'm ordering you to stop!" The man took a breath and Zuko turned to stand before the man.

Zuko was shoved aside by the man and Freya grit her teeth as the shoot moved towards them.

Freya moved her arms and the shot turned to head to the opposite cliff face.

Zuko ran back at the assassin.

"If you keep attacking, I won't pay you!" he threatened. Fire flared from Zuko's hand and the assassin grabbed his collar, causing him to halt and his blast to miss. "All right, I'll pay you double to stop!" Zuko said as he struggled before he swung the man's grip from his clothes, turned and kicked him. Freya ducked as another blast shot down at them, moving sideways for a pillar for cover as Aang ducked back behind the pond they were hiding behind. The blast hit the bottom of one of the temples.

Zuko landed on his knee, foot and hands as Combustion Man turned to him.

"Zuko!" Freya shouted and the boy turned to the assassin. Combustion Man fired at the prince who surrounded himself in fire. The two collided and exploded before Zuko, sending him backwards, skidding across on his feet.

"No!" Freya gasped and ran forwards, out into the open, as Zuko was blasted off the edge of the platform. Katara, Sokka and Aang looked up, worry in their expressions as their mouths were open. Freya let out a breath as Zuko was handing from the vines off the edge of the platform. The boy climbed back up as Combustion Man turned back to the group.

Freya looked angry.

She shot herself upwards and forwards, and then sideways to move out of the blast he sent. Aang also jumped out from hiding and in a thrust of air launched after the girl.

Aang created a whirl wind that short after Freya. She was pulled backwards into it and the girl closed her eyes before fire flared all out and around her, joining the wind before she launched herself into the middle and out of the top of the funnel.

The assassin jumped the wind and fire tornado which flared out behind him and a shot flared at Aang as he fell. Aang landed and Freya threw her hands downwards, turning the chi blast downwards and into the mist that filled the deep drop between the cliffs, one of which the temple sat on.

Freya boosted herself backwards and landed on one of the roofings of the upside down temples. Combustion Man grabbed the ridge of one and slid down before swinging himself onto another and another shot landed down at Katara and Aang as Sokka ran after to protect Toph, around the corner.

Katara ran forwards and water shot from the pond and high into the air, curving upwards towards the assassin. It rose up above him before Katara jumped downwards, flinging her arms down and the water turned to icicles that shot at the man. He rose his leg and arm to protect his body with the metal and the ice all broke, leaving him unharmed.

When the Assassin turned back to the temple the four had been in, Katara, Aang, Sokka and Toph were gone. He looked up but Freya was missing as well. He turned back down and fired at the floor where the four had last been.

Katara, Sokka, Aang and Toph were hiding around the corner of a pillar while Freya had her back against the roofing wall, glancing around at the assassin. He was firing blindly.

The four all covered their heads as the building shook and Toph cling to the ground, her feet still injured.

"He's going to blast this whole place right off the cliff side." Toph complained, clinging to the ground and pushing herself against the wall.

Katara glanced out around the corner before there was another explosion and dust blew past them and Katara pulled her head back, her eyes closed.

"I can't step out to waterbend at him without getting blown up. And I can't get a good enough angle on him from down here." Katara admitted.

Sokka turned thinking before his expression lit up.

"I know how to get an angle on him." he moved past Katara and pulled out his boomerang.

He peaked out and ducked again as there was another blast before looking around the corner again. Two more shots came down from sharply around the corner and Sokka pointed his boomerang at where the blast had come from and then moved it down to where the explosion had gone off. His eyes moved from the explosion to the blast point as he rose his boomerang.

"All right buddy, don't fail me now."

Sokka released the boomerang and it headed straight before curving around. The assassin took a breath to fire again before he turned as the boomerang soared and bashed him in the head. The man was bashed off of his feet and Freya stepped out from around the corner from her spot. Her hands circled, lighting sparking and she shot her hands forwards for the attack to blast off at the man. She followed it with a quick second one that exploded the base he'd been standing on. The man took a breath as he fell, aiming to fire at her, but there were flashes and sparks around him before everything exploded.

The entire building behind him exploded and the temple was blasted off the cliffside. Something shined before the metal arm shot out of the dust.

Freya ignored it and with a thrust downwards of her hands fire shot from her fists and feet and she went shooting across the space and rolled along the platform. She kneeled down and then lay, reaching over the edge for Zuko to grab her outstretched hand.

Katara, Aang, Sokka all ran out from their hiding place, Sokka grabbing his boomerang as it returned, and stared down at the temple as it fell below the mist. They shared a look as The Duke, Haru and Teo poked their heads out confused, sharing a look themselves. The three friends looked up at Zuko surprised, their mouths agape as Freya helped the boy to his feet.

The two fire benders shared a look before Freya released him as if he'd burned her and stepped backwards. She turned from him and began to make her way back down towards the level where the others were waiting for her, not glancing back at Zuko. Toph was carried out from her hiding place and sat down on a rock as Aang, Sokka and Katara stood to face Zuko, who'd followed Freya. Freya walked past them, Aang with his head bowed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this… but thanks Zuko." he confessed

"Hey, and what about me? I did the boomerang thing." Sokka said, raising his hands in the air.

"Listen, I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday." Zuko said as he approached them "I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realising that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honour, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honour. As Freya once tried to tell me, it's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right." Freya stopped, her back to the boy. "All I want now is to play my part in ending this war. And I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world." Freya glanced at the boy as she stood, her back half to him as Katara was glaring at the prince.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you." Zuko said, turning and bowing to Toph. "It was an accident. Fire can be dangerous and wild. So as a firebender, I need to be more careful and control my bending so I don't hurt people unintentionally." Aang looked surprised.

"I think you _are_ supposed to be my firebending teacher." Aang stepped forwards, raising his gaze to the boy. "When I first tried to learn firebending, I burned Katara." he gestured to her. "And after that, I never wanted to firebend again. But now I know you understand how easy it is to hurt the people you love. I'd like you to teach me." Aang said, bowing to the boy with his hands in the fire bending tradition.

Zuko smiled at Aang before he bowed back.

"Thank you. I'm so happy you've accepted me into your group." he smiled happily.

"Not so fast. I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them." Aang admitted, surprising Zuko. "Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?" he asked her.

Toph was quiet for a second. "Go ahead and let him join. It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet." she grinned, pounding her fist into her palm. Aang smiled

"Sokka?" Aang asked

He closed his eyes and hung his head for a second before he shrugged.

"Hey, all I want is to defeat The Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then I'm all for it." he agreed. Aang nodded before he walked forwards to look at Katara, frowning slightly. She was still glaring at the floor.

"Katara?" She turned to Zuko and then to Aang, her expression softening slightly.

Zuko looked at her worried, anxious for her answer.

"I'll go along with whatever _you_ think is right." she decided. Aang smiled before he turned to Freya.

"Freya, your decision in this is the most important." Aang believed and they all turned to her. "What do you think?" She avoided them all, pursing her lips as she glanced at Aang, considering.

There was silence.

"It's not like I haven't been stuck with him before." she responded and she managed to smile slightly at the avatar before, with a fleeting glance in the prince's direction, she was first to walk away.

Zuko looked down slightly before turning to the others.

"I won't let you down, I promise." he said as he watched Freya's back.

"Freya…" she didn't stop or turn to him but left the platform.

Katara was second and Aang followed her as Sokka picked up Toph and they all walked inside.

Freya sat herself down and closed her eyes.

"This is necessary, you need your skills refined and Zuko learnt his skills without suppressing and there being a ninety-five year gap." she whispered to herself. "You got good at you bending after loosing such control, Aang can't do that." she looked at the window in her room. _That's why I can't teach him… I don't know how to._ she frowned.

" _I've been through a lot in the past few years, and it's been hard. But I'm realising that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honour, and that somehow my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honour. As Freya once tried to tell me, i_ _t'_ _s something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right."_

" _And Freya, you_ _'_ _re the one who told me this was my purpose, you told me again and again you believed in me and that you_ _'_ _d still be here._ _"_

 _Why does he continue to point out what I said and did?_ Freya sighed.

 _He's trying to make amens._

Freya nodded. "But can I accept that?"

" _What are you doing?" she said, her voice low._

" _What I'm meant to!" he responded_

" _Who decided what that was?" Freya questioned. "I thought—" she bit her lip as she looked at him and shook her head. "I guess I was foolish." she whispered and Zuko watched her. She had almost expected him to wow them, to do what she and his uncle knew he could do, to do right the thing, to help the world and try to fix it…_

" _Are you seriously that desperate?" she demanded of him as he got back up and she ducked and turned as more fire passed her. "You realise love isn't something you earn from your family! Family loves unconditionally regardless of everything!" Freya snapped "This wont make your father love you!" Zuko cried out as he went smashing through the crystal, Freya having thrown him._

" _Why don't you stop?" she asked "Why don't you change! Why don't you come with me for once!?" Zuko stared at her, the attacks pausing. "I'm always with you, following you, checking on you, why don't for once, you do it and come with me?" she said as the fire and water whips diminished. Zuko stared at her. "Choose a different path!" she all but pleaded_

" _This is the only path there is!" Zuko believed and he swung his arm. Freya reached forwards and she jumped his arc of fire to land before him to produce another blast of white fire, which sent him skidding backwards. Freya hurrying after him._

" _I know that you were happy here with your uncle and that you said you could grasp your own destiny! But all you're doing is falling back into the same routine and making the same mistakes! You're fighting for something that isn't here!" Zuko shot his leg backwards and Freya jumped, released his hand and landed on his other side. "What made you happy Zuko? Was it being in the Fire Nation?" she asked before she spun and faced him within the very close proximity that surprised him. "Or was it being with me?" he looked at her shocked and he stopped in his movements before she tripped him up pushed him down._

 _Zuko looked up to find himself iced to the floor._

" _You had every opportunity to change, and yet you fell back on your past mistakes again."_

Freya looked down at her hands in her lap.

 _You told him…_

"But did I expect him to listen?" she questioned herself.

She'd spent so long trying to convince him, she didn't know what to do now that he seemed to agree…

She closed her eyes and sighed again.

"What do I do?"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

Freya had moved from her bedroom, unable to concentrate, and out to the open, where the wind blew through her hair. She meditated, her breathing labouring evenly as she kept her mind clear and steady. Katara was off preparing lunch and no one had yet to bother her. No one questioned why she was alone, or why she acted this way, they were all already aware. Including Zuko.

Her hair blew out around her as the fire prince stood behind her. He said nothing and she did not make any movement to show she knew he was there.

Zuko had no idea what to say. What could he say? He'd seen her in the catacombs, he'd seen her pain manifest on her face, her disappointment and betrayal when he'd chosen Azula. He never expected her to forgive him for that. He'd tried, tried to push it away and convince himself that it didn't bother him, but nothing he did could distract the guilt he felt. The feeling had caused him to doubt his decisions, doubt his beliefs. And she'd questioned him in ways no one else ever had.

Freya was a key part to the decision Zuko had reached, a key part to him finding his right path, finally, after so long. She'd been right in so many ways. How did he apologise though, when he had realised too late?

" _Your uncle thinks you are going to be a magnificent Fire Lord one day who will save the Fire Nation. And I agree. And you might think it doesn't need saving," she said as he opened his mouth "But I, as a part of that Nation, believes it needs saving from it's own destruction. What Fire Lord Sozin did needs to be corrected and Aang's not the only one to do the job. I know you can too. You're the only one who can. Someone will need to lead it and I think you can do that. You've spent three years trying to get back there, and not just for your honour or to have your father love you, but also, because you love your Nation."_

She'd always believed in him, just like his uncle. She saw something no one else did but his uncle. How did he apologise for taking so long for realising it?

Freya opened her eyes. She could feel him behind her, the heat of his inner fire beat against her through the wind. She got to her feet and he looked surprised as she turned to him and their eyes met.

Her expression was plain, not happy, not broken or angry. He had no idea what she was thinking.

He frowned. He didn't know where to start.

Freya didn't say anything either. She knew how he was about his emotions and putting his thoughts into words. Even if he had changed over the time she'd known him, she didn't expect all miracles to happen at once.

"Freya, I cannot explain how sorry I am." he whispered. "I cannot begin to apologise for what I did back in Ba Sing Se. I know, now more so, what high hopes and expectations you had, and I let you down." Freya dropped her gaze,

"I really hurt you." he took a step forwards but decided against walking over to her, incase she exploded.

Freya nodded.

"You did." she said and her voice cracked but she took a breath and straightened herself. "I don't think I've ever felt like that before." she whispered. "I felt like my chest had been punched out."

Zuko lowered his head. "You chose home, you chose to leave me behind. I just, wasn't as important." she shrugged.

"That's not true!" he snapped suddenly. She looked at him slightly angry.

"It's not? We were in those catacombs together and I actually got Katara convinced you were a good person! You had every option to help us against Azula! You were already a traitor what did you have to loose!?" she demanded. She took a breath to calm herself down and turned her gaze away.

"But you didn't, you chose home, over me, and the world…You could have stayed with me. You could have chosen the happiness you found in Ba Sing Se. You had nothing to loose by choosing me, by choosing us, but by choosing home, you lost me and Iroh and happiness all together. You were the reason the war tipped. It's because of you that Ba Sing Se fell and so did the Earth Kingdom." she snapped. "You hurt the world Zuko." he lowered his head. "That, that I let anger me more than you leaving me. And don't you dare say you didn't because you did."

"I asked you to come—"

"You asked me to leave everything!" she snapped back

"And you didn't!?" he said angrily. "You asked me to leave my family and Nation."

"First, you'd already lost your family and left your Nation. And you didn't just ask me to leave my family and home. It wasn't just what I cared about, no, not just my friends and my family, but the entire word." she took a breath "All those people who have been hurt by the war and all those refugees forced from their homes to Ba Sing Se. People who had been burnt, families who had been torn apart. Lands taken. Bending suppressed." Freya looked at him sadly "You asked me to turn my back on all of those people. I met so many of those people, Haru, who's father was locked up for five years for being an earthbender, Teo and Katara and Sokka who lost their mother, Aang who lost his entire Nation, refugees running for Ba Sing Se, villagers that had their homes destroyed. How could I do that when I'd seen all the sadness they went through. After Yue sacrificed herself for the moon and the world? I'd never forgive myself for that." Freya shook her head.

"And how can you compare the two? You going back to a place where you're overlooked and unappreciated… Where your father… and even your sister, they look down on you, they push you and hit you in so many different directions…" she shook her head. "And you asked me to go into that environment? How is that at all going to make me happy?"

Zuko had nothing to say.

"Tell me, where you happy with me?" he looked at her. "In Ba Sing Se, in the Earth Kingdom, in the Water Tribe, on your ship, were you happy when with me?"

Zuko stalked right up to her and placed both hands on her cheeks, she looked up at him, frowning slightly and grabbed his wrists to remove his hands from her but he resisted as he looked down at her strongly.

"I was home, my dad spoke to me, he thought I was a hero. I thought that all I needed was his acceptance to be happy. But when I got it, all I felt was angry." she watched him as he stood before her, looking down at her as he brushed his thumbs over her cheek bones. "I was confused. I felt that all I'd done, was wrong, I hadn't done anything right, I didn't know what was the difference." he glanced sideways. "But that wasn't all. All I felt was guilt and loss. There was emptiness. I didn't feel happy being home, I felt worse. It didn't feel like home, because I had been better and happier in Ba Sing Se." she watched him, looking at his amber eyes.

"I pushed away the feeling at the beginning, I tried to immerse myself and distract myself… but there was nothing I could do. I knew what was missing." He ran his fingers through her hair and she closed her eyes at the feeling, taking a breath in through her nose.

"Nothing was the same with you gone. There was less excitement, less feeling, less… happiness. It got to the point where I thought about you every day. It got to the point where I wondered where you were, what you were doing," Zuko frowned. "Whether you'd ever speak to me again, let alone forgive me for hurting you so much. I was happy with you." he whispered as he looked at her sadly. "I'll never forget how you reacted…" he shook his head "You crumpled so far and all I felt was regret. I never hated myself more."

"But you still did nothing." she returned. "You still thought of none but yourself. And that includes Iroh, you hurt him so much." Zuko frowned and nodded.

"I was so hung up on having my father love me, I was blind to those who really did. In Ba Sing Se I wanted you all to be happy for what you did for me, and when Azula offered me a passage home…" he shook his head "It's all I ever wanted…"

"I was so wrong, and I never should have chosen Azula, you always gave me what I needed."

"What? Relief in frustration?" he chuckled as Freya rolled her eyes.

"The truth, you made me the person I needed to be. And you never gave up in doing so. No matter when we argued, no matter when we were against one another, or apart. You never gave up on me, and I will never forgive myself for doing just that to you."

Freya rolled her lips and took breath as she looked up at him.

"Truth be told, it wasn't so much that you picked to go home, instead of stay with me that upset me. That's nothing new." she said carefully. "It was that I had so much faith in you, it was that you asked me to betray it all for you, it was that I had an expectation, and you didn't live up to it. Always I've expected you to pick your home, your Nation and your family over the top of me. I always expected us to be against one another. Your uncle said you were going through a change and then things really were different for you, you changed, you smiled, you showed more emotion… I guess I just really got my hopes up. I expected a different choice for the first time, I expected us to be on the same side, for it to work out. Not just that you'd make the right choice, but that you'd be with me. I don't know why I got so confident in you, why I expected differently." Freya lowered her gaze "I rose my expectations and put away all I knew of you and all you wanted, I just ignored it… I crushed myself. I have no one but myself to blame, I put my expectations too high." she shrugged. "And that upset me more than anything. I was too happy. Ba Sing Se was so much fun with you. And you were suddenly so considerate of everything and seemed to be heading in such a better place… You were so happy in Ba Sing Se, going home seemed a far off dream, you just wanted to stay, with your Uncle, and with me…" Freya bit her lip as Zuko watched her. "I forgot about the reality, as if I was sitting in a dream."

She sighed. "It just shows how much emotions can sometimes cloud your judgement. Once upon a time I expected that you wouldn't realise you'd be unhappy at home, until you got there. And I completely forgot about it." she chuckled and shook her head. "And here you are, proving I was right. It just makes me so mad at myself."

"No, you knew I was made for better and I didn't live up to it. I failed you. And now I'm going to do all I can to show you I can be the person you believe exists. I can be the person to help save our Nation. Because you're right, it's destroying itself. The world hate's the Fire Nation. You were right, they don't see our greatness, they hate us, their scared of us, we've ruined peace. The Fire Nation broke the world, and you were right, it's up to the Fire Nation to fix it.

"You told me so many times."

"You were just too stubborn to listen." Freya responded and she removed his hands from her cheeks, pulling on his wrists as she frowned. "You just wanted one thing and nothing else was deterring you from that." she looked at him "And yet here you are, standing before me, trying to do the right thing after so long."

Zuko nodded. "I just want to play my part, and I want to make is up to you." he frowned and turned his gaze away from her. "When I made this decision though, I wasn't sure what I'd do. I didn't think you would ever want to see me again, let alone let me join. I figured you'd…"

"Attack you? I considered it. I didn't know what I was going to do when I saw you. Before the invasion I wondered what I'd do if I saw you during it. I told Aang someone else would have to fight you if it came to that. I wouldn't be able to do it, I'd just be a hindrance, but I didn't know what I'd say or do… or act." she admitted, looking to the side and over the cliffs. "I didn't know at first whether it was a smart choice to talk to you or not. Would it hurt me more when you told me to leave, or would it hurt the invasion when I got distracted…" Freya sighed. "I already had that problem before, I let you distract me in the catacombs. My mind wasn't in the battle where or how it should have been, and because of that I let Aang get hurt. I was just too preoccupied with you." Freya frowned. "I was so scared what would happen when we met again. You didn't want your uncle, you didn't want peace in Ba Sing Se, and you didn't want me. You threw me away like I wasn't important. Then you furthered it by asking me to betray my friends, and even worse you injured Aang." Freya shook her head. "You broke me in every way but the body.

"And then the invasion was beginning and there was nothing else I could do." she looked back at him. "I went looking for you. I went to the palace, I even found your room." she confessed.

"But if you felt all that—"

"Why'd I come and find you?" she finished. "Aang advised me to talk to you, regardless of the outcome, that I'd need the closure instead of sitting wondering whether I really meant nothing. And he was right, I had to talk to you, I had to know whether you—" she took a breath and shook her head, lowering her gaze, but Zuko raised it again with a finger below her chin. "I had to know whether I really meant nothing, whether it was really easy to just shove me aside, if I never caused you to consider forgetting about home, and forgetting about capturing Aang, whether maybe you realised I could make you happy." Freya felt her eyes begin to prick. "Or maybe if you felt guilty over the last couple of months… maybe sad or angry about what happened."

"More than ever." he whispered and stepped even closer to her as he could. There was basically no space between them.

"It got to the point where I moved past that. It didn't matter how a pain shot through my chest every time someone said your name, or every time I remembered what happened in the catacombs, the fact that it woke me up at night. In the end, all I began to worry about, was whether you regretted it, or even missed me." she whispered.

Zuko smiled ever so slightly and he leaned so that his nose brushed her's and she closed her eyes.

"But more than that, it made me question how you felt for me? Because I, to everyone's surprise including my own, fell for the Fire Prince."

She looked up at him and his expression became a full blown grin. She waited with slight hope but he said nothing.

"You going to say anything?" she prompted.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked quietly in response.

She looked at him.

"I want to forgive you." she whispered and his grin dampened slightly. "I want to believe you're gonna be here forever, that you're not going to turn around and leave, or change your mind." she brushed his hair. "I want to believe you're never gonna leave me again." she frowned "But I just…"

He frowned at her slightly as she dropped her hand.

"Honestly, I'm scared to. I don't think I can have a repeat of Ba Sing Se. And even with everything you've said, I can't forget that." he down cast his eyes. "I want to believe you Zuko. I just don't think I can yet."

He looked at her as she stepped back from him and with a look she walked past him and back for the temple. She stopped before she went to far and turned back to him.

"Just, give me a bit more time. I need to see it first." she said before she left.

Zuko looked back at the cliffs frowning slightly.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

Everyone took to Zuko much quicker than expected, only Katara seemed to have issues with his presence. Aang was as spirited as always and Sokka just took to making fun of everyone, so nothing different there. Freya was as normal as she could be, she was able to smile and tease Zuko like she always had, she couldn't help but act the same way despite what she'd said. Every now and then she'd find herself watching him, and she'd frown slightly, or she'd have trouble sleeping at night due to the memories he had brought to the forefront of her mind. She couldn't help it.

Katara seemed to think Freya was on her side in distrusting Zuko, the girl said nothing as Katara would sit with her as if in protection of her, always between her and Zuko.

Freya ignored it, she didn't say anything nor did she complain. Once or twice she'd been grateful for it, though she saw Zuko glancing at the girl a few times and then at Freya.

Zuko took Aang to begin his fire bending training the day after his arrival, wanting to complete what he initially came to do and Freya followed.

"Now you need to remember, he's not confident in his fire bending and using it worries him." Freya whispered to the prince as Aang followed them to a platform on one to the upside down temples, away from everyone else.

"You might need to be patient, and Aang learns well with positive teaching experiences and praise and kind words." she rose an eyebrow at the fire prince who looked at her a little annoyed. "You need to be nice." she said simply.

He scratched his head in thought. "Can't you do it for me?"

"Learn to stand on your own feet, I'm not your mother." she said and he chuckled.

They stopped and Freya stood beside the two boys, watching them as they faced one another.

"I know you're nervous, but remember, fire bending in and of itself is not something to fear." Zuko said. Aang frowned and took a breath, calming himself.

"Okay. Not something to fear." Aang repeated

"But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino." Zuko said harshly and Aang jumped slightly, gasping. Freya shot Zuko a look and he cleared his throat as an attempt to ignore it.

"Now, show me what you got. Any amount of fire you can make." Zuko instructed with his arms crossed. Aang looked at the boy unsurely and glanced at Freya. She smiled and nodded.

The avatar took a breath before he drew in another, held it, and moved his hand outwards to the side. A burst of small fire shot out.

"That's all you taught him?" Zuko asked Freya. She looked annoyed and he faltered slightly.

"I taught him defence and theory, he was too worried to actually fire bend." she said obviously, her hands on her hips.

Aang frowned as he looked at Zuko guiltily.

"Maybe I need more instruction, perhaps a demonstration?" Aang offered.

"Good idea. You might want to take a couple steps back." Zuko said and Aang did so.

Zuko took a breath in, held it and grit his teeth. He swung his hand and shot his fist forwards.

Freya gapped in surprise, blinking. A tiny burst of fire, no better than Aang's, burst from his hand and dispersed as it drifted upwards as smoke, leaving nothing behind. Aang started clapping as Freya rose an eyebrow.

"Funny." she said, crossing her arms.

"What was that? That was the worst fire bending I've ever seen."

"I thought it was nice." Aang said smiling and shrugging at the boy.

Zuko shot his hand again and again and again but only small bursts of fire came from his fists. Freya looked at him concerned now as he clearly wasn't messing about. Something was wrong with his bending.

Zuko was just as frustrated.

"Why is this happening?" he demanded

"Maybe it's the altitude?" Aang offered, rubbing his bald head.

"Yeah… could be." Zuko muttered turning from him. Freya watched him as he glanced at her and her forehead was furrowed.

"Let's move downwards shall we?" she offered and she moved first, nodding her head for the two boys to follow.

Aang took a seat on some broken stone as Zuko stood before him. Freya watched him cautiously as Zuko threw his hand forwards.

The same happened, a small spout of fire left his knuckles. Zuko looked at his hands and grit his teeth before shooting his hand forwards again. The same occurred. Aang yawned and fell backwards to lie on the broken stone pillar.

"Just breath and…" he shot his hand forwards but again, hardly any fire occurred. Aang looked up, an eyebrow raised.

"That one kinda felt hot." he grinned

"Don't patronise me! You know what it's supposed to look like!" Zuko snapped at him and Aang flinched.

"Sorry sifu hotman."

"And stop calling me that!" Zuko snapped so that Aang flinched "Freya! You do it!" Zuko snapped

"I don't think that's going to make you—"

"Just do it!"

She looked at him annoyed.

"Fine, if you want to feel worse." she said and she stepped forwards.

Sokka walked over to them eating an apple and he sat down as the three watched him.

"Hey Jerks. Mind if I watch you Jerks do your jerk bending?" he said.

"Get out of here!" Zuko snapped

Freya shot her hands forwards and Sokka gasped, his apple flew into the air as he ducked and the white flames went over his head. The now burnt to a crisp apple landed before him.

"Okay, take it easy I was just kidding around." He stood up and fixed his kimono. "Jerk bending. Still got it."

Zuko looked at Freya who shrugged innocently and he slumped forwards.

"How could this happen?" he asked

"Well it's not the air, it's not the altitude, this must be an internal issue." Freya said

"What do you mean internal?" he asked

"Firebenders can bend due to their determination and will, maybe your will to teach Aang isn't strong enough to fuel your fire?" she offered

"This has never been more important, how is that not determination?" Zuko snapped

"I don't know, but bending is connected to you and your inner self. It needs a fuel, especially fire, a fire can't burn on it's own, and you're clearly not giving your inner fire enough juice to sustain your bending." she said and Zuko frowned.

"You need to find what fuelled you fire before, and then decide, what you're going to fuel it with now." Freya advised.

"Until then—"

"You'll have to show me Freya." Aang smiled

"I knew you were going to say that." she said before huffing. "Alright, Zuko can tell me what I'm doing wrong."

The sun set and everyone sat around a fire eating dinner, all but Zuko who sat back leaning against a post, his arms crossed and brooding. Freya watched him from beside Toph as he glanced at them. He caught her eye and she raised an eyebrow before nodding her head for him to join them. He sighed and walked over, he sat beside her, leaning his chin into his fist as he stared at the fire.

He was still for the minute before he sat back up and looked at those around him.

"Listen everybody," he called their attention. "I got some pretty bad news; I lost my stuff." he lowered his head frowning.

"Don't look at me, I didn't take your stuff." Toph said, her hands up in defence.

"I'm talking about my fire bending. It's gone." he said sadly. Everyone looked at him unsurely.

Katara burst out laughing and everyone turned to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm just laughing about the irony. You know how it would have been nice for us if you'd lost your fire bending a long time ago?"

"Way to be childish, Katara." Freya said as she popped some rice in her mouth. The girl glared at her.

"Well it's not lost, it's just… weaker for some reason."

"Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are." Katara returned,

"Ouch." Toph stated and Zuko looked annoyed as he looked at Freya. She glanced at him too.

"I bet it's because I changed sides." he said "Freya said my determination weavers now…"

"That's ridiculous." Katara believed

"No, it's not." Freya said "Fire benders need to fuel their inner fire to fire bend, fire benders have a drive and are determined, it's how their bending works."

"Yeah… maybe your fire bending comes from rage, and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to." Aang offered as Katara sipped from her bowl.

"So, all we need to do it make Zuko angry, easy enough." Sokka decided and he stood up with his sword and began to poke at Zuko with the handle, knocking his shoulder and head while laughing.

"Okay cut it out!" Zuko snapped, getting to his feet. Sokka cowered as his sword went flying into the air, falling to knock him on the head.

"Annoying him isn't going to help Sokka. Besides, fire shouldn't be reliant on anger, it makes it too uncontrollable." Freya believed

"And I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore." Zuko said "There has to be another way."

"Well of course there is, you don't see me or Iroh relying on anger do you?" Freya asked him as she stood up. "You just need to find a new perspective."

"Why don't you teach it to him Freya?" Aang offered. She bit her lip.

"Well… see, the way I learned, my dad kinda showed me, and it's not really something I can teach." she admitted. "Not me anyway."

"You're definitely gonna need to learn to draw you fire bending from a different source, I recommend the original source." Toph offered as Sokka sat beside her, rubbing his head.

"How's he supposed to do that? By jumping into a volcano?" Sokka asked grinning

"No." Toph shut down, causing Sokka for look disappointed. "Zuko needs to go back to what ever was the original source of fire bending was."

"So is it jumping into a volcano?" Sokka questioned

"I don't know." she put her bowl down. "For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. One day, when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me, so we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the World." she explained

"That's amazing, Toph. I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the Sky Bison." Aang admitted before he leaned around to look at Appa. "Maybe you can give me a lesson sometime buddy." Appa growled back at the boy and Zuko glanced at him.

"I'm no different. I learnt from my mother for water bending, but she took me out quite a few times to be under the moon, who's the original water bender. I too learnt how to use water bending to extend my senses." Freya smiled

"Well, this doesn't help me. The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct." Zuko said. Freya looked at him shocked.

"What!?" she demanded turning to him.

"What do you mean? Roku had a dragon, and there were plenty of dragons when Freya and I were a kid." Aang admitted

"Well, they aren't around anymore, okay!" Zuko snapped

"Okay, okay." Aang said, moving his arms in an appeasing gesture to help calm him down. "I'm sorry."

"What do you mean they're extinct! Why can't be extinct!" Zuko rose an eyebrow at Freya as she looked distraught.

"What's up with her?" Sokka questioned

"Freya's always wanted a dragon." Aang explained "Her dad used to take her to visit them."

"They helped me with fire bending." she mumbled. Freya's face dropped, her forehead onto Zuko's shoulder in dismay, and he smoothed her hair.

"But maybe there's another way." Zuko offered "The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors." Freya paused and she looked at Zuko as he moved to look out at the fountain.

"Sun Warriors?" Aang questioned as he moved after Zuko "Well I know they weren't around when I was a kid." Aang said as he joined the boy. Freya looked disagreeable.

"No, they died off thousands of years ago," Freya rose an eyebrow and moved up beside the Fire Prince.

"Who told you that?" she wondered.

"It's a known fact." Zuko said and she looked skeptical.

"I disagree."

"It's historically known. How would you know different?"

"Because my dad took my to their city." she said and Zuko and Aang looked surprised. "What? I've travelled a lot." she shrugged

"And you're telling me people live there?" Zuko asked

"They did when I went. And that wasn't thousands of years ago, only a hundred." she said.

"I never heard of them." Aang said

"Well despite your visits you weren't really told of the Fire Nation's history. The Sun warriors were the first fire benders to learn from the Dragons." Freya explained "Most of the Fire Nation are aware of their cultures' history but that doesn't mean the other nations are aware." she admitted

"Their civilisation isn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins." Zuko suggested.

"How about we don't poke, cause that would be disrespectful." Freya added.

"It's like the monks used to tell me. Sometimes, the shadows of the past can be felt by the present." Aang smiled

"So, what?" Sokka asked so that the three turned to him. "Maybe you'll pick up some super old Sun Warrior energy just by standing where they stood 1000 years ago?" he fluttered his arms around.

"More or less. Either I find a new way to firebend, or the Avatar has to find a new teacher." Zuko declared.

Aang frowned looking woeful at the idea.

"We'll leave tomorrow." Zuko decided.

"Well you two boys have fun with that." Katara said. Freya rose an eyebrow.

"Boys? Freya's coming too Katara." Aang believed as the girl crossed her arms and waited for Katara to speak.

"No she's not."

"Yes I am?" Freya said and Katara looked at her surprised. "I happen to be a fire bender, I'm not going to miss out on a history lesson on my culture."

"But you've been?"

"So?" she asked back

Katara looked at her before she sighed, she didn't argue and Freya rolled her eyes at the girl.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

Appa flew through the air and over the ocean. Freya and Zuko were in the bison's saddle as Aang sat at his head with the reins in his hand. Zuko was slumped on the side looking displeased.

"We've been riding for hours. I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be a lot faster." he said and Freya rolled her eyes.

Appa growled in response.

"You'll hurt his feelings Zuko." Freya warned

"Appa's right, Zuko. In our group, typically we start out our missions with a more upbeat attitude." Aang grinned

Zuko responded by groaning. "I can't believe this." he grumbled, leaning his head backwards. Freya chuckled

"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it." Aang promised

"Yeah be a little positive and excited about learning something new." Freya nudged him.

"I'm bored."

"So, do something to entertain yourself." she offered

"Like what?"

"We could go for a swim." she smirked and pointed over the bison "I'll throw you over if you want." he looked at her annoyed.

"Just cause you can bend water." he mumbled

"Don't get sappy just because your inner fire's unhappy." she said before pausing and chuckling at her rhyme. Zuko rose an eyebrow at her.

He said nothing but instead moved his head to her lap and laying there as if to take a nap. Freya went to brush his hair before she paused and pursed her lips. She turned to look over the blue sky and water instead.

Appa continued over the water until they came to an island. Trees and green covered the land and there were mountains, dry and barren of greenery, and white with stone and rock instead. They flew other them and the three looked surprised as within the mountains was a city. Several pillars and buildings surrounded a pyramid structure in the very centre, trees and bushes grew amongst the ruins.

"Whoa!" the two boys gapped at it surprised.

The bison flew down amongst the stone-made-ruins as vines and roots grew out all over them. They landed the bison and the three jumped down, beginning to walk out amongst the buildings, Aang with his staff in his hands.

"Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them. I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these." Zuko said as they looked around.

"Ok, we learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending too. The past can be a great teacher." Aang grinned, his hand in the air. He gasped as his foot got caught on a piece of rope across the path. He fell forwards towards the ground and the stone descended to reveal a pit of spikes all shooting up at his face. Aang blew a heap of air down at it and flipped over himself to land on his feet on the other side. He wobbled as he landed on the edge, his hands going everywhere before he got his balance and jumped forwards.

"Zuko, I think the past is trying to kill me." Aang said frightened as Freya chuckled. Zuko crouched down beside her and picked up the rope.

"I can't believe it. This booby trap must be a century old, and it still works." Zuko admired

"Wouldn't be surprising if there were still someone living here." Freya offered. She took a few steps backwards. She ran forwards and her hand fell down at the spikes before fire blasted from it and she was shot back into the air to land on her feet beside Aang.

"There's probably a lot more." Aang said turning from Freya to Zuko. "Maybe this means we shouldn't be here." he offered.

Zuko took a few steps backwards before he ran forwards, up the wall past the spike and jumped to land with the other two benders. He smiled as he stood up straight and dusted himself off.

"Where's that upbeat attitude you were talking about? Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting." Zuko said, turning to the pyramid that entered the city.

"Not only that, but since when have we allowed the idea of danger to stop us?" Freya asked as she walked forwards to lead the way.

They reached the bottom of the steps on the pyramid and began to climb them, Freya in front and Aang at the back. At the top of one set of stairs they paused. On the stone wall before them was a painting of a mural.

"Look. This seems promising."

The picture was of a person and two dragons on either side of them. Fire swirled from the dragon's mouths and all around the man.

"Though I'm not sure what this tells us about the original source of firebending." Aang thought

"They look pretty angry to me."

"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors." Aang frowned.

"Well, they had a funny way of showing it."

"Not necessarily." Freya said "Remember things are not always as they seem. And I'll admit, I don't see anger or destruction."

"Why do you always seem to know something?" Zuko asked her annoyed

"Well I am the one who's been here before." she said shrugging. Zuko looked from her to the painting before he lowered his gaze. He turned to keep walking and the two benders looked after the Fire Prince.

"Zuko, something happened to the dragons in the last 100 years. Something you're not telling me." Aang believed

"My great-grandfather Sozin happened." Zuko admitted sadly. The two shared a look before they followed the boy. "He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. They were the ultimate firebenders. And if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary, and you'd earn the honorary title "Dragon"." Zuko explained as they crossed a bridge and came to another set of stairs. There was a stone dragon on either side, the face of one having fallen off.

"How could Sozin get people to start hunting dragons? He had one himself?" Freya said confused "What did he kill his own companion? He couldn't have been that heartless." she said but Zuko simply frowned and turned his face away.

"I can't believe people followed such an idea." Freya mumbled "No wonder the Fire Nation's so corrupt."

"The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born," Zuko put his hand on the eye of a dragon stone cut out. "By my Uncle."

Freya looked surprised. "No." she disagreed.

"But I thought your Uncle was… I don't know, good?" Aang asked shrugging.

"He had a complicated past. Family tradition, I guess." Zuko said looking up.

Freya frowned and looked around the city.

"Let's just move on." Zuko decided and the two followed him.

They reached the top of the pyramid where there was a pillar standing tall and with a red gem in the middle. Opposite it and in the wall of the pyramid was a door, clamped shut currently. It had symbols all around it and a red stone at the very top. Aang ran at the door and putting his staff down he began to pull on it to try and wedge it open.

"That door looks much too heavy Aang," Freya believed as she stepped forwards.

"It's locked up." he confessed.

Zuko scratched his head thinking as Freya looked at the circle that was carved into the stone on the floor. There were a few points and Zuko stepped sideways. Light shot through the red gem on the top of the pillar and was positioned on the floor on one of the points.

"Wait. It's a celestial calendar." he realised "Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples. I bet that Sun Stone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits it at just the right angle, on the solstice." the three looked up at the red stone above the door as Aang looked exasperated.

"Monkey feathers! The solstice again?"

"Well we missed the solstice." Freya reminded them. "Next ones not for half a year." she shrugged

"We can't wait here that long." Aang believed

"No we can't." Zuko agreed. He unsheathed his broadsword and put it over the red light so that it shone on his sword. "But we might be able to speed time up. Let's see if we can outsmart the Sun Stone." Zuko angled the sword and the red light beam went weaving up the wall until it landed on the red stone above the door. The stone glowed as the three watched it, waiting.

"Nothing's happening." Aang pointed out.

"Come on…" Zuko muttered.

The ground began to shake and before them the door slid in two and moved open, revealing it's dark room beyond.

"You know, Zuko, I don't care what everyone else says about you," Aang decided as he picked up his staff, Zuko sheathed his sword and the three stood by the now open door. Aang nudged Zuko. "You're pretty smart." he complimented and Zuko smiled. Freya smirked as she walked inside. Aang followed her before he jumped in surprise, there was a giant person looming over him from within the darkness.

"Relax. They're just statues." Zuko assured as he followed the two, Freya having moved to the centre of the room. She was standing within a ring and all around her were giant statues, it was symmetrical as all the statues on the left made the same pose as the one in the same position on the right.

On the floor below Freya was a giant flaming sun that almost resembled a flower. On the wall beyond was another sun. Freya looked around and rose an eyebrow as there was a grate right at the top of the ceiling, letting in a small stream of light.

Aang leaned down to the first statue on the left of the door.

"It says this is something called The Dancing Dragon." he looked up at the statue before him curiously before putting down his staff. Aang admired the statue before he made the same pose, his arms up and one leg in the air.

The floor below Aang descended ever so slightly and Aang stepped off, looking at it as it rose back up. The boy looked around at the other statues as Freya admired the last one a little ways from her.

"Zuko, get over here." Aang said as he grabbed the boy's arm and began to yank on it. "I want you to dance with me."

"What?" Zuko demanded as he resisted the boy's yanks.

"Just do it." Aang said and he pulled Zuko to the first statues by the door.

"Let's follow the steps of the statues." Aang said as Zuko slouched looking humiliated, groaning slightly.

Freya watched them as they pulled the same pose and then copied that of the next one. Zuko looked surprised as the floor below his outstretched foot lowered down.

"Don't you see? These aren't dance moves." Aang said as the two moved to the third step. "These statues are giving us a lesson. I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form." Aang said as they moved again, the plates moving below their weights. Freya stood in the middle and watched them, turning to see the two as they moved around either side of her.

"This better teach us some really good firebending." Zuko said annoyed

"Oh lighten up, you act like dancing is embarrassing." Freya smirked.

"Depends who you do it with." he grumbled and she chuckled.

The two moved, their knuckles pointing in at one another for the last step. Freya gasped surprised as the floor below her moved and she jumped backwards as the floor shook slightly and sliding stone sounded. The two boys looked up as a pedestal rose up from the floor in front of her. Sitting on top of it was a very bright and golden egg.

"Hurray!" Aang cheered, his hands in the air. "Wait," he rubbed his head confused. "What exactly is that?"

"It's some kind of mystical gem stone." Zuko said as Freya looked at it amazed and Zuko moved over to her. He stretched a hand out to the egg and Freya grabbed it.

"Well, don't touch it!" Aang said quickly.

"What are you doing?" Freya demanded at the same time.

"Why not?" Zuko asked as Aang moved towards him.

"Remember what happened out there with those spikes?" Aang pointed his hands upwards to imitate the spikes. "I'm just very suspicious of giant, glowing gems sitting on pedestals." he said worried.

"I agree, let's not touch." Freya nodded.

Zuko reached forwards and picked up the egg causing Freya to gap at him and Aang to hit his forehead.

"It feels… almost alive." Zuko looked around as if expecting something to happen before he moved to put the stone back.

There was the sound of rushing water and Freya and Aang gasped as green goop shot from the pedestal and Zuko was sent flying into the air with a cry. The light in the room was blocked out momentarily as the spout hit the grate on the floor and Zuko was slammed into it with the egg.

Grinding sounded and Freya and Aang turned as the door began to slide shut.

"Zuko!" Freya complained up at him angrily.

"Oh, no, it's another trap!" Aang exclaimed as the door shut.

Freya and Aang moved back from the goo as it poured out and spread over the floor below them.

Freya moved and turned to jump and flip up the statues and out of the way of the substance.

Zuko was pulling on his arms and neck, tensing as he tried to move and the golden egg hung from his arm.

"Ugh, I can't pull free. It's like some kind of glue." he admitted as the stuff hung from the bars and Zuko struggled some more.

"Probably so the intruders who try to steal the egg don't get away with it!" Freya snapped.

Aang ran for his staff, jumping over the waves of glue before he jumped up onto a statue's head and flung the staff at Zuko. Zuko groaned as he went from facing down at them to facing up out of the grate, moving from one side of it to the other. He remained stuck however.

Freya looked down at the glue substance as it was rising up the statues and towards them.

"It's going to fill the entire room!" she complained

"Freya do something!" Aang said as fire shot from Freya's feet and rose her into the air.

"Like what?" she asked "It's not water, I can't bend it and fire benders are the ones who come here so I doubt that'll have any effect!" she said annoyed.

Aang looked up at Zuko before he realised as he pulled on his staff that it was stuck, the glue having risen high enough. He released the pole as the glue swirled over the head and launched up to grab the bars beside Zuko, his hands and feet landing on the grate while Freya rose higher and higher.

Aang pulled on his hands and feet to find they were stuck to the bars just like Zuko was.

"I can't move. Zuko, do something!" Aang demanded

"Me? I can't move either." he reminded him. Freya moved up and grabbed the bars, ignoring that her hands stuck to it and they began to glow.

"Come on melt." she gasped as she felt the fire extinguish at her feet and the glue rose up around her body.

"Ugh this feels gross!" she exclaimed.

The three of them gasped as the thick liquid pushed on them and into the bars, threatening to crush them, before it stopped and let up slightly.

"It stopped." Aang realised

"At least we have air. Maybe if we stay calm we can figure a way out of this." Zuko offered.

Freya grit her teeth annoyed.

"What was that you said about Zuko being smart?" she asked through her teeth.

"Yeah, I take it back." Aang agreed as Zuko looked at them annoyed.

Freya turned back to her hands and they began to glow again as she tried to melt the bars in her grips.

She felt the metal trickle from her hands and steam rose as the liquid metal joined the glue. When it was gone her hands were still stuck, her fingers glued together, in the same gripped position. she looked annoyed.

"Nothing?" Zuko asked

"I don't have enough movement to do much else." she said annoyed.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34:

The sun had set and night had fallen over the ruined city. The three were still stuck to the grate with the glue pushed up against the boys' backs and staring up at the starry sky above them. Freya had moved, reaching her hands as far as the glue would let her, to try and melt the glue and more of the bars to free them, but to no avail.

"You had to pick up the glowing egg, didn't you?" Aang said annoyed

"At least I made something happen. If it were up to you, we'd never have made it pass the courtyard." Zuko returned

"Better than being stuck to a grate in the middle of no where!" Freya joined in.

Aang opened his mouth very wildly and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Help!"

" _Who_ are you yelling to? Nobody's lived here for centuries."

"Well actually there were people here a hundred years ago because I met the Sun warriors." Freya snapped "So maybe if your great grandfather hadn't been a prat they'd still be here and they'd help us out."

"You're blaming me?!" Zuko asked

"If only I could." she muttered

Footsteps sounded and Freya looked up surprised.

"Who is down there?" A face loomed over them with a head piece of fur, a staff in hand, wearing red and gold and half the face painted with red and white.

The three all looked at him, Aang gapping. Freya looked surprised before she looked at Zuko slyly.

"What was that you said about no one living here?" she asked. He looked at her annoyed.

The three were helped from the temple and pulled free of the glue before they sat at the doorway to the temple, still closed, and animals with long snouts and long tongues sat beside the three and were licking off the glue from the three's bodies. Before them stood a crowd of warriors, all wearing similar to the man who'd found them. He was clearly the chief. They were fire benders as four of them hand fires flickering from their hands to light up some of the darkness. One of the men was holding the egg Zuko had removed.

"For trying to take our Sun Stone, you must be severely punished!" the chief snapped as he approached them.

"We didn't come here to take your Sun Stone. We came here to find the ancient origin of all firebending." Zuko corrected

"What would we even do with your sun stone?" Freya asked

"Yeah, right. They are obviously thieves, here to steal Sun Warrior treasures." he held the sunstone close to his chest protectively.

"Please, I don't normally play this card, but… I'm the Avatar." Aang said as he held his arm out for the animal to lick the glue off of. The man turned to his chief and back to Aang as he stood up and smiled guiltily. Freya stood as well.

"Just hear us out." Aang asked as Zuko stood beside Freya.

"My name's Freya, I came here many years ago and I'm honoured to be in your presence again." she bowed to them "We didn't want to come and make trouble, and we're sorry for touching your stone and gunking up your temple room." the two boys bowed on either side of her in apology as well.

"My name is Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. Or at least, I used to be." he added with a sideways glance. "I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending, to be fuelled by anger and rage. But now I want to learn the true way, the original way. When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior civilisation was secretly alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence." he said, bowing again. "Please, teach us." he asked. The chief stared down at them for a moment.

"If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the masters Ran and Shao." the Chief explained as Aang looked up at him.

"Ran and Shao? There are two of them?" he asked

"When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you. They'll read your hearts, your souls, and your ancestry." the man stepped over to Zuko "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you." Zuko looked at him worried but Freya took his hand in her's and smiled comfortingly. "If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot." the two boys shared a look and Freya smiled.

"I'm not worried."

"Yeah cause you have nothing to loose." Zuko said to her.

"I'm not talking about me, I'm not going to be judged." the two looked surprised

"What do you mean?" he asked

"Simple, I've already met them." she shrugged as the warriors began to turn and move up, around the temple and to the one behind it. Here there were steps leading up towards a small arbour.

The sun began to rise as they climbed the steps. At the top was a small tower, open on all sides but one in which fireplace sat. Burning within it was a very yellow fire and the Sun warriors gathered around it as Freya, Zuko and Aang stood before the chief, who stood in front of the fire.

"If you're going to see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame. This fire is the very first one. It was given to Man by the dragons. We have kept it going for thousands of years."

"I don't believe it." Zuko said bewildered.

"You will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending." he declared

"Um, Mister Sun Chief, sir? Yeah… I'm not a firebender yet. Couldn't my friend here carry my fire for me?" Aang asked looking worried as he rubbed his neck.

"No." he turned back to the fire and Aang frowned.

"Don't worry Aang, you can do it." Freya assured.

The chief held his hands at the fire and a swirl of it shot between his palms. He turned to face the three, turning in a full circle as he made the flame into a ball above his hand, separating it into two.

"This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control." Aang looked at the fire worried as Zuko reached forwards for his and the sun chief removed his hand so that Zuko now held the fire.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous." Aang said before he put his hands below the fire and the chief removed his. Aang had his eyes closed before he turned to look at the fire in awe, he looked relieved as if flickered gently in his hands. "It's like a little heartbeat."

"Fire is life, not just destruction." Aang and Zuko looked at Freya who smiled. Yes, she'd sat that many times. Aang smiled. "You will take your flames up there." the chief pointed to a mountain that had two peaks on either side of it. "The cave of the masters is beneath that rock."

"Let's get going." Freya smiled.

They walked down the steps of the temple and through the city until they came to the forest and climbed over uneven ground. Freya lead the way, Zuko and Aang concentrating on their fire.

"Freya, who are these masters?" Zuko asked

"Oh they're amazing!" Freya grinned "I learnt I could water bend before I could fire bend and I did pretty well at water bending, picking it up easily. When it came to fire bending though, I really struggled. Fire and water are opposites after all. My dad thought it would be good to get me to learn about fire from a different perspective, my view after all wasn't much different to Aang's in a way, I was worried about the element. It made me hesitant." she admitted "It turned out my dad had been to the Sun Warriors when he was younger, his father took him, so he knew they were still alive. He took me to help me understand and get a better grasp on the element. The masters helped and inspired me in ways I never thought possible and I really got better at fire bending, understanding it's purpose, and my progress through learning fire bending got better and quicker afterwards." she smiled "This was quite a few years before I met you Aang."

"How old were you?" Zuko asked.

Freya thought "Maybe about six or seven. I got my water bending at about three or four and my fire bending a year or so afterwards."

"They taught a six year old?" Zuko asked surprised

"They taught a child the meaning of fire, as the chief said, fire is life, it's energy. I've always maintained that belief and it came from the two masters." Freya said.

They began to climb the grassy mountain up towards the mountain peak. Aang began to fall behind the other two, his eyes on his flame that seemed to get smaller and smaller as they walked. Zuko stopped to look back at Aang, one hand held out for the fire that flickered above it.

"Hurry up." he called

"I can't." Aang said as he placed a hand on a rock to hoist himself up onto it. "If I walk too fast, my flame will go out.

"Your flame's gonna go out because it's too small. You're too timid. Give it more juice." Zuko advised but Aang looked up at Zuko worried

"But what if I can't control it?"

"You can do it. I know you can. You're a talented kid." Zuko believed as Freya looked down at them both. Aang smiled at him before continuing to follow.

They continued up the path before passing between the two rock peaks of the mountain. Arriving through the crack the girl stopped and the two boys, their fires flickering happily, looked up. They were surprised to find the sun warriors, the chief standing apart facing them with two behind him. Behind them was a set of stairs. The symbol of the flaming sun sat on the stone floor that covered the rock below their feet. Around the symbol stood more warriors and between each standing was one bowing to the ground. At the top of the stairs there was a path, the stairs sat in the middle and the two ends moved into two caves that sat in the two peaks of the mountain. The boys looked up at it and to Freya who smiled.

The chief and his two attendants walked up to the three.

"Facing the judgment of the firebending masters will be very dangerous for you." He turned to Zuko who watched him unsurely. "Your ancestors are directly responsible for the dragons' disappearances. The masters might not be so happy to see you." Zuko looked sideways in shame.

"I know I wouldn't be." one of his sides said.

"But once they find out I'm the Avatar…" Aang began

"Have you forgotten that you vanished, allowing the Fire Nation to wreak havoc on the world? The decline of the dragons is your burden too." The Chief said, causing Aang to frown.

The chief rose his staff and banged it to the stone. The staff remained standing as the chief released it. He stepped forwards, weaved his arms around, put his palms together and then moved his hands outwards so that he took some of the fire from both boys. He held his hands out to the two attendants beside him and they took the fire. Both moved to join those circling the symbol on the floor and the fire moved to those standing, circling around them to create hoops of fire. The fire passed from standing warrior, to standing warrior, gracing over the heads of those kneeling.

The chief grabbed his staff and turned, walking back to the stairs.

Aang turned to Zuko as Freya watched the chief, looking up at the top of the stairs. The sun was setting and had fallen until it sat at the top of the stairs above them.

"We could turn back now. We've already learned more about fire than we hoped." Aang said to Zuko, holding up his little flame to indicate to. He smiled hopefully, guiltily as Zuko turned to him. He looked disagreeable.

"No, we're seeing this through to the end. We're gonna meet these masters and find out what's so great about them." Zuko decided and Aang frowned. Freya glanced at them behind her.

"What if they judge us and attack us?" Aang wondered worried.

"Well, we're the Fire Prince and the Avatar." Zuko pulled his swords out slightly, grinning. "I think we can take these guys in a fight, whoever they are."

"You say that now." the two boys looked at Freya as she smirked at them confidently from the corner of her eye. "Wait till you meet them."

Aang looked at Zuko before he nodded.

"Bring 'em out." Zuko commanded, turning to the chief.

"Chanters!" The chief spread his arms and those kneeling began to bang instruments and chant.

The two boys looked at Freya.

"Go on." she whispered. They walked past her and towards the stairs. The two boys walked side by side towards the Chief, who stepped out of the way and with a deep breath the two boys began to climb the stairs. Zuko was first as Aang glanced back at Freya worriedly. She nodded encouragingly and he continued looking unsure.

The two climbed the long staircase and reached the top of the stairs. They looked down the two passageways, leading into the mountains left and right of the stairs, and into the caves.

"Those who wish to meet the masters Ran and Shao will now present their fire." One of the warriors had a horn to speak through, his voice magnifying. The two boys shared a look, Aang looked down at his fire, before they both turned to one of the paths, stood back to back, held up their hands with the fire on top and bowed.

Things were silent for a moment.

"Sound the call." The Chief demanded. One warrior blew through a horn and it sounded out throughout the mountain. Birds took flight across the yellow and orange sky. Freya glanced up at them before the mountain shook dangerously. Aang looked at it surprised and he turned to Zuko, dropping his hands.

His fire went out.

"What's happening?" Aang demanded, looking at Zuko. He walked over to look at the other tunnel; and the fire prince but he hadn't moved, he glanced at Aang who looked worried.

Aang bit his lip and returned to his position, raising his hands, only to find his little flame of fire was gone. Aang gasped

"Zuko, my fire went out." he whispered

"What do you want _me_ to do?" Zuko asked as the boy bit at his nail.

"Give me some of yours." Aang said and he grabbed the boy's shoulder and reached for Zuko's fire, waving his arm to get closer.

"No, just make your own." Zuko pushed Aang off him.

"I can't." Aang believed and he reached for Zuko's again.

"Get some from one of those warriors. Hurry." Zuko's voice echoed through the mountain as Aang continued to reach for Zuko's flame. "Stop cheating off me!" The warriors all glanced at Freya who's head dropped into her hand and she shook it with a sigh.

"Quit being stingy!" Aang returned.

"You've gotta be kidding." she mumbled.

Zuko held his hand out as Aang clung at his clothes trying to get to the fire on top of Zuko's hand. The Prince continued to angle his hand away from the avatar before Aang pushed his hand down and Zuko's flame went out and vanished before their eyes. The avatar was clinging to Zuko's back, his hands on his wrists as they shared a worried look.

The mountain shook again and the two boys looked at the caves, as Aang looked over Zuko's shoulder and then they both turned to the one behind them.

"Uh-oh." they muttered. They looked into the darkness of the cave behind them, Aang turning and a set of yellow eyes appeared.

From within the darkness out shot a red dragon. It roared at the two as it shot out of the cave and it's wings unfolded as it moved around the platform the two stood on. The two boys looked at it shocked, it had many fangs, two pointing upwards out of it's jaw as two pointed down and a mane all around it's head and face. Aang stumbled backwards towards Zuko as wind rushed around them from the dragon's powerful wings. They looked at it surprised and Zuko turned to the other cave before a blue dragon shot out of the opposite one. It began to move opposite to the red and they wove down and up, under one pathway and over the other as they circled the platform.

"These are the masters." Zuko realised as they watched them.

"You still think we can take 'em?" Aang whispered

"Shh. I never said that." Zuko denied.

The dragon's continued to circle as all the warriors around Freya began to kneel and bow down to the dragons above them.

"Oh, here it comes. Any moment now… dinner for the masters." one of the attendants grinned.

"Quiet, Ham Gao." The chief ordered.

"What? Everyone's thinking it." he mumbled glancing around. Freya bit her lip as she watched the boys. They stood staring at the dragons and watching them as they dove down and up, circled around and both dragons moved together, and opposite, one heading left the other right as they did the same movements.

Aang watched them unsurely before he thought. He turned to Zuko behind him.

"Zuko, I think we're supposed to do The Dragon Dance with them." he whispered

"What? What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance?" Zuko questioned

"Well, I think they want us to do something. Let's just try it." Aang thought.

"Fine." Zuko agreed begrudgingly.

They stood up straight, rose their arms and one foot and the two dragons shot upwards in response. They lunged and the dragons moved in the same direction. The blue dragon moved as Aang stepped and threw out his arms, they turned to point backwards, the dragon circling back. The two dragons circle around the platform with the two boys. The red one following Zuko as he lunched downwards, the dragon diving as he did. The boys circled around the platform as the dragons flew around them until their knuckles touched at the end.

The two boys looked up to find Ran and Shao looking at them, their wings flapping and their jaws exposed as they growled lowly. Zuko and Aang stood back to back, each facing a dragon as they stared at the boys, Aang was shaking.

"Judgment time." The chief called.

The two dragons lowered down, latched themselves onto the sides of the stairs with a crash that shook the floor before they opened their mouths.

The two boys shouted as they were surrounded with fire, it swirled and whirled around them like a tornado. Freya grinned as she saw the purples and greens and blues within the fire, all the different colours and enchanting movements within the fire as it circled upwards to the sky.

The boys stared up at it all as the fire reflected in their eyes and they looked bewildered.

"I understand." Zuko whispered as he looked so amazed.

The fire all burst and dispersed from around the boys. The dragons lowered themselves to the ground, curled up in spirals and they glanced at the warriors all still bowed. Freya smiled as they leaned towards her before they launched up into the air. Both circled downwards and shot head first into the two caves opposite one another.

Zuko and Aang were left standing with the sun behind them. The warriors got to their feet and swirled their hands so that there rings of fire all dispersed in on themselves.

Freya stood at the foot of the stairs as the two boys walked down towards her. The chief stood behind her as she smiled at them both.

"See I told you you'd both be fine." she smiled turning to Aang and he nodded. Zuko reached and took her hand, lacing his fingers through it. She glanced down at it and back at him as he smiled at her.

"Their fire was beautiful. I saw so many colours, colours I've never imagined." Zuko admitted

"Like firebending harmony." Aang agreed

"Yes. They judged you, and gave you visions of the meaning of firebending." The chief said, causing the three to turn to him.

"I can't believe there are still living dragons. My Uncle Iroh said he faced the last dragon and killed it." Zuko admitted

"So, your Uncle lied." Aang realised

"Actually, it wasn't a total lie. Iroh was the last outsider to face the masters. They deemed him worthy and passed the secret onto him as well." The Chief confessed and Freya grinned.

"Well if anyone's worthy." she said smiling at Zuko who returned it.

"He must have lied to protect them, so no one else would hunt them." Zuko said.

"All this time, I thought firebending was destruction. Since I hurt Katara, I've been too afraid and hesitant. But now I know what it really is… it's energy, and life." Aang admitted. Freya rose her hands and Aang laughed. "Just as Freya always said." she smiled in response.

"Well, like I said, I'd seen the dragons' fire myself." the two boys smiled.

"Yeah. It's like the Sun, but inside of you." Aang said. Freya rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Do you guys realise this?"

Freya and the chief shared a look.

"Well, our civilisation _is_ called the Sun Warriors… so yeah." the Chief admitted.

"That's why my firebending was so weak before. Because for so many years, hunting you was my drive… It was my purpose." Zuko said, turning to Aang in realisation and the small boy looked up at the prince. "So when I joined you, I lost sight of my inner fire. But now, I have a new drive. I have to help you defeat my father and restore balance to the world." Zuko said positively and he lunged, shoved his fist through the air and fire went shooting from it and past the chief. He followed it with another as Aang grinned and he turned determined for fire to fly from his palm as well. He beamed.

The two boys grinned at one another and Freya patted both their shoulders.

They turned to the chief.

"Now that you have learned the secrets, and you know about our tribe's existence, we have no choice but to imprison you here forever." The chief said and the two boys looked shocked, their eyes wide. Freya covered her mouth chuckling and the boys turned to her.

"Just kidding." the chief assured grinning and the two boys shared an unsure look. "But seriously, don't tell anyone!" he demanded.

Freya bowed to the chief and the boys followed her.

"Thank you so much for your help." she said.

"Yes, thank you." Aang agreed.

The three found the bison asleep in the trees on the outskirts of the city and they moved to fly back to the Western Air Temple.

"Where have you guys been?!" Katara demanded as she, Toph and Sokka moved towards the three, the Bison growling to catch their attention before Appa landed and the three jumped down.

"Zuko got us stuck in a trap." Freya said pointing at him and Katara looked at the boy angrily.

"Katara, you'll never guess what we found!" Aang said excitedly, surprising her as Sokka and Toph shared a look. Haru, Teo and The Duke joined to listen as well.

The three explained how they found the Sun Warriors and that there were really two dragons still alive before the two boys showed the fire bending strategy they had been taught. This time however fire went flying from their fists as they moved.

"With this technique the dragons showed us, Zuko and I would be unstoppable." Aang said as two shot fire from their fists before they moved till their knuckles pressed together at the finish.

Everyone clapped as they stopped and Freya chuckled.

"Yeah, that's a great dance you two learned there." Sokka said

"It's not a dance. It's a firebending form." Zuko snapped defensively

"We'll just tap-dance our way to victory over the Fire Lord." Sokka taunted, walking his fingers in the air.

"It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!" Zuko said annoyed as he walked towards them.

"Oh yeah? What's your _little_ form called?" Katara wondered and Zuko looked annoyed

"The Dancing Dragon." he muttered embarrassed and everyone chuckled at him as he looked displeased.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35:

Night had set and the fire glowed through the darkness of the Temple. The group was all crowded around the fire as Zuko poured tea into the cups set out on a tray.

"No one can make tea like Uncle. But hopefully I learned a thing or two." he said

"I feel a bit doubtful…" Freya mumbled as she looked over at the liquid being poured out with skepticism.

"Would you like to hear Uncle's favourite tea joke?" Zuko asked smiling

"Sure." Katara allowed

"I like jokes." Aang smiled

"Bring it." Toph taunted.

"Okay." Zuko kneeled down by the Duke and Haru, allowing them to take a cup "Well, I can't remember how it starts but the punch line is, 'Leaf me alone, I'm bushed.'" Freya snorted, covering her mouth as everyone looked at Zuko blankly.

"Sweetie, I think you need the rest of the joke." she said chuckling

"Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it." he muttered, getting up and moving over to Katara and Aang.

"Right. Maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." Katara said slyly, taking a cup and the others chuckled. Zuko looked at them all before smiling.

Sokka however was sitting apart from the rest and drawing in the dirt.

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little." Toph believed as Zuko crouched beside her and Teo and handed them cups. "It hardly ever happens." Toph said

"Always seems to happen when Aang's learning an element, remember at the water tribe we got to chill a bit, even if we were learning. And again when Toph was teaching Aang." Freya said

"It might have been simple if Sokka hadn't gotten himself suck in a hole." Toph said and the others all chuckled.

"Okay fine, we have our quirks." Freya allowed as Zuko handed her a cup. The girl took a swig before she spat it out again. "Gosh… you need practice." she mumbled and everyone snickered. Zuko rolled his eyes at her before he moved over to Sokka, who's forehead was creased with thoughts.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" he suddenly asked and he walked away from the others before Zuko followed him.

"What's up with Sokka?" Toph asked, glancing at the two as they spoke.

"Likely he's contemplating a plan for something." Freya said as she glanced at the two.

"But there's nothing to do until the comet." Toph thought.

"That we know of." Freya added.

She smiled as Zuko sat beside her and Sokka rejoined them as well.

The fire began to douse as everyone curled up on blankets and mats, crowding around it. Once everyone had fallen asleep, Zuko crawled over to Freya. She moved her shoulder as he tapped it before he brushed a hand through her hair and shook her slightly again. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly annoyed before she turned over and opened her eyes.

"Zuko," she glanced at the sky, it was slowly lightening up as the sun began to rise. "Have you seen the time? What?" she whispered annoyed.

"Sokka's up to something." he said, glancing at everyone and whispering back. The boy in question was asleep amongst everyone else.

"Like?" she muttered, rubbing her hands over her face.

"I don't know. He wanted to know where war prisoners are taken." Zuko admitted

"What did you tell him?" Freya asked as she sat up and looked at him.

"I told him they were at the Boiling Rock." Zuko said and Freya rose her eyebrow.

"The what?"

"My father built it, it's for war prisoners and convicts." Zuko explained "It's in a volcano within the sea. The prison itself is on an island within the volcano and the lake around it is full of boiling water." he explained "It's inescapable, and that's not from lack of trying." he admitted.

"War prisoners…" Freya muttered "You didn't happen to tell him where it was did you?"

"Yes, he asked. He's up to something."

"Well yeah he's going to go and break his dad out." Freya said and Zuko looked surprised.

"Is he insane?" Zuko asked

"More like desperate. His father got caught in the invasion plan, which was all Sokka's idea, he feels responsible, and so he's going to do something about it."

"But what about the others?" Zuko asked and Freya shook her head.

"If the boiling rock is so inescapable then he wont put the others in trouble. He probably also feels like he needs to do it himself." she said thinking as she got to her feet.

"Where you going?" he asked quietly as he followed.

"To stop Sokka, he at least cannot go by himself." she said "He'll need help." she smiled.

"You're talking about breaking into a prison, why are you excited?" he asked with a sigh.

"You said it's in the middle of a lake right?" she asked and he nodded. She turned around and walked backwards "Water bender, fire bender. Hot, water." she grinned pointing at herself. "Feeling confident." he smirked and shook his head before moving to place a hand around her shoulders.

"So how do we stop Sokka?"

"We wait, the only option he's got is Appa." she said shrugging, pointing at the bison.

The two moved to the bison and Zuko began to climb into the saddle, Appa looked at the two and Freya smiled, putting her fingers to her lips and he closed them again. The girl climbed up next to Zuko and sat beside him.

"Is this going to take long?" he whispered

"Why you got somewhere better to be?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. He placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Not anywhere better." he said.

"Good answer." she responded

The two turned as they heard a gasp and shushing. They looked at the saddle for Sokka's head to point over the edge. He had a bundle on his back as well as his sword.

"Hey Sokka." Freya grinned

"Not up to anything, huh?" Zuko asked and the boy cried out as he lost his grip on the saddle and fell down the bison's leg. The two got up and moved to see him splat on the stone, the contents on his bag all around him.

"Freya?! You ratted me out!" Sokka accused Zuko, looking up at them.

"You surprised?" Freya asked, an eyebrow raised. Sokka looked annoyed.

"Fine, you caught me. I'm gonna rescue my Dad. You happy now?" Sokka asked as he sat up and put his items back in his bundle.

"Sokka, don't you think you're being irrational?" Freya asked

"Look, I have to do this. The invasion plan was my idea. It was my decision to stay when things were going wrong." Sokka said as he put his bundle back on his back.

"Actually, from what I heard, you said you'd do what ever Aang agreed with and he decided to stay. So no, it wasn't." Freya said as she jumped off of the bison and landed before Sokka.

"You weren't even there at that point." Sokka said to her

"Am I wrong?" he looked at her as Zuko landed down beside her.

"It's still my mistake and it's my job to fix it. I have to regain my honour." Freya rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Where have I heard that before." she shared a look with Zuko.

"You two can't stop me." Sokka believed and he moved the two out of the way to climb up onto Appa's back again.

"I'm sure we could." Freya mumbled

"You need to regain your honour? Believe me, I get it." Zuko admitted. "I'm going with you." he decided

"I'm coming too. A prison in the middle of a boiling lake? You're gonna need my help." Freya said

"No. I have to do this alone." Sokka believed

"Your dad would kill me if I let you go alone." Freya said "Besides, what's wrong with us helping you?" she asked and Sokka looked down at them.

"How are you going to get there? On Appa? Last time I checked, prisons don't have bison day cares." Zuko admitted and Sokka paused as he grabbed the saddle. He sighed heavily and looked at them both.

"We'll take my war balloon." Zuko decided and he turned back into the temple.

"Don't forget to leave a note for everyone or they'll think Zuko kidnapped us." Freya said

"What?" Zuko asked surprised

"What? Katara's still suspicious, she'll totally jump to that." Freya shrugged

"She has a point." Sokka agreed.

Zuko sighed but Sokka pulled out a piece of paper and a brush and wrote a note. He handed it to Zuko who added to it before handing it to Freya. She smiled and moved to give it to Momo, who was currently sleeping face down by the bison. The lemur clung to it as it snored and they moved off to find the war balloon.

"Right, let's go." she smiled.

They got into the balloon and Zuko began to pump fire into the cabin. Freya moved to lend him a hand and the hot air began to inflate the balloon at the top. They watched it before Zuko got out and pushed on the basket of the balloon while Freya maintained the heat. He jumped in before they began to move upwards across the dark sky. Sokka took the rudder and began to steer the balloon in the right direction. They worked for a while in silence, getting the balloon to a good height as the sun rose, before Freya leaned off the front, looking across the clouds and ocean as Zuko stayed near the fire and Sokka sat at the rudder.

Zuko shot fire into the cabin every now and then. He turned to Sokka and the two shared a look before turning away, Sokka rubbing his neck.

Freya's eyebrows pulled in in annoyance as the silence dragged on behind her and she could feel the tension. Zuko had his hands together and glanced sideways as Sokka looked around the balloon.

"Pretty clouds." Sokka said

"Yeah, fluffy." Zuko muttered. Freya grit her teeth.

More silence and Sokka started whistling

"What?" Zuko asked

"What? Oh, I didn't say anything." Sokka returned.

"You two are the awkwardest pair ever. Will you loosen up?" Freya demanded annoyed, turning to them. They shared another awkward glance.

"You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons." Sokka began again

"No kidding." Zuko said turning to him.

"Yep. A balloon. But for War."

"There's one thing my Dad's good at, it's War." Zuko said as he shot more fire into the tank.

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family." Sokka said absentmindedly, rubbing his neck and glancing at the boy.

"Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that." Zuko said defensively

"I know, I know, you've changed." Sokka assured, waving his hand.

"I meant my Uncle. He was more of a Father to me. And I really let him down." Zuko frowned

"I think your Uncle would be proud of you." Sokka admitted

"Speaking of Iroh where is he?" Freya wondered

"Somehow he broke himself out of prison. I went to bail him out, I wanted to apologise… I don't know where he went." Zuko admitted. Freya hummed.

"Well, as long as he's alright, he's rather resourceful." she smiled "And Sokka's right, he would be proud, all he wanted of you after all was to find your right path." she smiled and Sokka nodded in agreement, making the prince smile.

"Yeah, leaving your home to come help us, that's hard." Sokka said

"It wasn't that hard."

"Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?" Sokka wondered

"Well…" Zuko paused and he glanced at Freya. She had her back to them again but she glanced at him for his pause. "I did… sort of… have a girlfriend. Mai."

Freya turned back away with a shocked expression on her face. She stared down as she tried to comprehend what she heard. Zuko had dated someone? He'd betrayed her and…

" _I pushed away the feeling at the beginning, I tried to immerse myself and distract myself… but there was nothing I could do. I knew what was missing."_

He distracted himself, by dating another? Or did he actually…

"That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?" Sokka asked, grinning slightly and seeming to ignore Freya all together.

"Yeah." Zuko responded, but it sounded distracted. He was watching Freya as the wind blew through her hair and she kept her back to him. Her teeth were clenched shut, almost as if to stop her from acting.

" _Nothing was the same with you gone. There was less excitement, less feeling, less… happiness. It got to the point where I thought about you every day. It got to the point where I wondered where you were, what you were doing," Zuko frowned. "Whether you'd ever speak to me again, let alone forgive me for hurting you so much." he whispered as he looked at her sadly. "I'll never forget how you reacted…" he shook his head "You crumpled so far and all I felt was regret. I never hated myself more."_

 _He hurt you… you were enemies… you couldn't happen._

"Things were… complicated." Zuko continued "Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I'm a traitor. I couldn't drag her into it." he said, still watching Freya.

 _He did care about her…_ Freya took a breath. _What about now?_

"My first girlfriend turned into the Moon." Sokka confessed suddenly

"That's rough buddy." Zuko mumbled.

Freya sighed and dropped her head.

 _You wanted him to be standing around waiting for you?_ She wondered _Would have been nice._ she grumbled selfishly.

 _If you didn't believe you could be with someone and your insides were being pulled at with guilt because of an action you did? Would you not want a distraction?_ Freya grit her teeth.

She looked annoyed. _Why am I always making excuses for him?_ she questioned.

The sun slowly began to set beyond them and little was said. Zuko moved over to Freya, glancing back at Sokka, the boy was still sitting by the rudder but his head was tilted backwards and his snores were echoing through the sky as he slept.

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked the girl.

"Yeah why?" she asked not looking at him.

"I just thought… maybe hearing about… I can explain—"

"You don't need to." Freya cut him off "Why do you need to explain to me?" she shrugged.

"Freya… you're being stubborn again." he noticed. Her face crumpled into annoyance. Why did he have to notice?

"Okay, you hurt me, you left me, and you went and dated someone else instead of feeling guilty or even thinking about me. I'm a little hurt about it." she admitted "You completely pushed me aside like it didn't matter. But what can I blame you, we'd left at a terrible rip, there was no chance us being together, someone else, anyone else, would definitely have been a better choice." she rambled, staring at the clouds.

Zuko placed a hand on her cheek. She took a breath to calm herself down but jerked her head away from him before turning to him.

"Mai is friends with my sister. She used to come by a lot when we were kids and Azula loved to mess with us. Turns out Mai had a crush on me even back then." he smirked ever so slightly and turned from Freya who closed her eyes. She didn't really want to hear all of this, but maybe he had a helpful point for her.

"I didn't really ask for it to happen between us. I was sort of down on the way home after Ba Sing Se… 'down' is probably not the right word for it." Freya hoped not. "She distracted me from what had happened, it didn't stop my anger though. I just got angrier and angrier, and I took it out on her." the boy smirked again and turned to Freya. "She didn't argue with me like you do. She didn't let me vent out my issues, she hardly even asked me what they were. That's just who Mai is though. Closed off. I learnt that because of her childhood though, it's how she was conditioned." Zuko glanced at Freya who was staring out at the ocean still, away from him. He brushed her hair and she reached up to hit his hand stubbornly. Instead of looking surprised he smirked ever so slightly.

"But it wasn't right, after spending so much time with you, it just didn't feel right. Nothing I did made her happy, or angry, or express anything. I found myself comparing you both. That just made me angrier. I could hardly get you off my mind."

Freya still said nothing.

"At first she helped me to forget, or ignore. She gave me comfort and I guess security at being back home. It was almost like being in a foreign land. But I couldn't ignore you forever, not you as a person or the idea of you, or the pain I'd caused, and definitely not how you made me feel." she glanced at him and he watched her. "You completely took over my mind, despite her. She was there, but you were all I cared about. I tried to move on, like you said, to find someone I could be with, but I couldn't." She glanced at him.

"Not like it matters now I guess. Not like we were a thing or anything so you were free to do what you wanted." she mumbled. "The question is more of if you made a choice," she glanced at him. "And who it is?"

"I thought that would have been obvious." he smirked, taking her hand and putting it to his cheek. "I chose you Freya."

"Just cause you chose to do the right thing by joining us to help Aang, doesn't mean you chose one girl instead of two timing them both." Zuko looked at her surprised. The girl smiled. "Of course that'd be very bad for you, you'd have me and Mai to deal with, and I've seen her fight." he smiled at her nervously. "I'd team up with her to make you pay for something like that."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be a smart choice." he agreed, brushing his head. She removed her hand from his cheek and looked back at the ocean. He watched and again he reached to play with her hair. She watched him.

"I choose you Freya." he said and she rolled her lips as she turned back to him.

"That'd be nice." she muttered "I don't think I can loose you again." she mumbled. Zuko reached for her and pulled her into a hug. She blinked slightly surprised as he held her close.

"I know what you said, but Freya, I'm never letting you go again." he promised. Freya took a breath.

"Can I count on that?" she whispered

"Always." he nodded. Freya took a breath but didn't respond. She wanted to count on that, but what he'd done in the catacombs still left an impression.

"By the way, don't know you if you noticed, but we're loosing altitude." she said and Zuko released her before looking around. They were indeed lowering as the heat within the balloon lessened. He moved to the tank and opened the door to shoot more hot air in and Freya smirked. The balloon began to rise again and Freya chuckled.

"That's your fault." he said

"You started the conversation not me." she said slyly.

"Yeah but you're a distraction." Freya thought for a moment.

"I'm okay with that." she decided smirking and he rolled his eyes, grinning. "I do have another question though," she said and he looked at her waiting as more fire went in the tank. "Did you tell Mai about me?" she asked and he looked surprised.

"Honestly, no I didn't. I could never figure out how to…" he muttered.

She nodded in agreement.

"That doesn't upset you?" he asked surprised.

"That you didn't tell the daughter of an Admiral of the Fire Nation and one of Azula's good friends that you were smitten by a water tribe girl?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, I think I could understand for the moment why you didn't preach that reason." he smiled and nodded.

"And this is why you're amazing." he said

"Why cause I make excuses for you?" she asked raising an eyebrow

"Because you understand." he corrected as he shot from more fire into the tank and then moved over back beside her.

"Well, I do try." she admitted and laid her head on his shoulder. She paused. "Say, is that it?" she stood up and Zuko looked down.

"Yeah. There it is." Sokka jumped up from behind them and moved over to the two, away from the rudder as Zuko's voice raised. There was an island in the middle of the dark waters and white steam was protruding from the top, completely covering the top of the volcano and anything inside.

"There's plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we're quiet we should be able to navigate through it without being caught." Zuko said as they got closer.

The fire bender moved to the tank and began to shoot more fire in, allowing them to sneak up the side of the volcano and into the steam. Sokka peered over the edge of the balloon and at the tiny piece of rock that was in the middle of bubbling water. Upon it was a structure, dark, with many windows. They entered the steam and the balloon began to fall. The fire flared up into the balloon but they descended quickly, the balloon only just making it over the tip of the volcano. Freya felt her hair blow upwards as the basket below her dropped.

"We're going down. The balloon's not working anymore!" Zuko said quietly as he blew fire blast after fire blast into the tank, shoving both his hands forwards. He began to swipe his hands upwards to put the fire and heat straight into the balloon, but they still descended. Sokka moved to the controls and grabbed the rudder.

"The air outside is just as hot as the air inside so we can't fly." Sokka explained, still keeping his voice down. The balloon tipped and Freya gripped at the edge before Zuko came stumbling down to her. She grabbed him to stop him falling overboard as the prison structure came closer and closer.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Zuko asked as he got his balance.

"I don't know. Crash landing?" Sokka offered

"Uh, this is what I'm here for." Freya said with a raised eyebrow. The boys shared a look as she stood and then moved her arms. The steam circled around them and then blew out in the vicinity of the balloon. The hot steam moved away from it and with a blow the balloon began to rise quickly, away from the water they had just been about to hit.

"I'll keep the air around the balloon cold, the rest of the steam will still hide us, you two direct us to the beach." she said smiling and the two boys grinned before they began to work.

Zuko kept the balloon just above the waters, the heat from the bubbling liquid however began to heat up the bottom of the metal basket as they headed straight for the beach.

"We're going too fast!" Freya warned.

"How do we slow down?" Sokka asked.

"Stop with the heat." Freya said to Zuko and he did. Freya took a breath and moved her hands forwards. The water shot from the lake and at the basket, grabbing at it and slowing them down. It was too hot and heated the metal basket more but Freya ignored that as she tried to slow them down.

They approached the beach and with a thrust forwards of Freya's hands and a flash of her blue eyes the water holding the edge of the basket froze so that ice now grabbed it. It melted quickly but it was enough as the balloon launched, sending the three occupants forwards and the basket came to a quick stop at the edge of the beach. It brushed up against the rock that the water washed against, it was tipped forward slightly from the jolt before it tipped back, rocked slightly and then remained still, upright. The three all stood, waiting for the basket and balloon to move. When it didn't and they all shared a look.

There was a grin on all three faces before something fell to Freya's feet, she looked at it confused and bent to pick up the piece of pipe. She dropped it and shook her hand with a grit of the teeth, the metal was burning hot and she kept her mouth closed and the sounds within.

The three looked up at the top of the balloon to find the cage of the balloon, which held the fabric into place, had broken and the pieces were falling apart.

The three moved to the edge of the basket and jumped out as the balloon began to deflate and fall over the basket as the three ran across the rock beach from it.

"How are we gonna get off the island if the balloon won't work?" Zuko asked

"We'll figure something out. I suspected it might be a one-way ticket." Sokka said and Zuko looked surprised he looked at Freya who huffed but didn't question. Zuko blinked at her before turning back to Sokka.

"You knew this would happen and you wanted to come anyway?" he questioned as Sokka walked over to the ballon.

"My Dad might be here. I had to come and see." Sokka hushed as Zuko followed him. Sokka began to grab the fabric of the war balloon to fold and tuck it into the metal basket.

"Uncle always said I never thought things through, but this, ugh, this is just crazy." Zuko put his hands to his hair clutching at it before throwing them up in frustration.

"Hey! I never wanted you to come along in the first place." Sokka defended.

"This is actually a first for Sokka. He usually has everything planned out to the finest detail." Freya confessed as she walked up next to Zuko.

"Yeah. But my plans haven't exactly worked, so this time I'm playing it by ear. So there." Sokka snapped as he pushed the entire balloon into the basket. He pushed on the basket but his hands were sizzled by the heat of the metal and he gasped, shaking his hands in the air. He responded by shoving his foot onto the basket and pushing.

"What are you doing?" Zuko questioned as he ran up behind the boy and the balloon descended, bubbling, into the hot water, vanishing from sight.

"It doesn't work anyway." Sokka reminded him as the two boys watched it. Freya turned to look out at the building sitting high above them, several rows of windows in the stone work of the walls. "And we don't want anyone to find it." Sokka said

"I hope you know what you're doing. There's no turning back now." Zuko reminded him and both boys turned to the building and walked up behind Freya.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36:

"If we're going to move around this place freely, we can't be seen as we are." Freya said as they began to creep up the side of the prison to find a way in. "Sokka and I are much too obvious in our water tribe blue, and you need something to cover your face with." she said to Zuko "Your scar's too recognisable." he looked unhappy by the thought.

"We need disguises." Sokka thought

"Well inside are prisoners and guards and I don't know about you but I think being a prisoner would make things harder." Freya thought and Sokka nodded.

"We need some guard outfits." he said and she nodded too.

"For that we need the armoury." Zuko said

"You wouldn't happen to know where it is would you?" Freya asked

"Actually I do. My father built the place remember."

"Indeed I do." she mumbled and she shared a glance with Sokka before the two water tribe members began to follow the fire prince.

They found the armoury and all three switched out their clothes for the same armour.

"Gosh, could they make these any more plain?" Freya complained

"That's what you're worried about?" Sokka asked

"Worried? No. Disappointed, maybe." she mumbled as the two boys pulled on their helmets. She sighed and did the same before all three stepped out into the hall.

"I hope these disguises work." Zuko mumbled as Sokka closed the door.

"We just need to lay low and find my Dad as soon as possible." Sokka said

"Yeah so let's not get caught running around searching. We need to be smart and discrete." Freya said.

Guards began to run past at the end of the hall one after the other after the other. They turned to them and the two boys leaned back against the wall looking worried as Freya rose an eyebrow below the mask. One stopped and turned to them.

"Guards! There's a scuffle in the yard, come on." he shouted at the three. The boys shared a look as the guards disappeared.

"The yard will be the best place to look, all the prisoners are out and the guards can look over them without looking suspicious." Freya said to the two and they turned to follow the crowd.

There were a heap of prisoners all crowded together outside. The yard was surrounded by the walls of the prison in which all the cells sat. The prisoners stood around something and all the guards pushed through them until they were at the front of the circle. A single prisoner stood there, facing a guard. Both were walking around one another in a circle, the guard staring at the prisoner. All the prisoners wore the same red tunic, pants and a tie around their waists, some in slightly lighter and faded shades.

"I didn't do anything. I'm going back to my cell." the prisoner said before he turned to walk away from the guard before him, moving across the circle around them.

The guard brought his hands together and fire swirled between them before it formed a whip. He lashed it forwards to hit the ground behind the prisoner, flaring slightly.

"Stop right there Chit Sang." the guard ordered and the prisoner did so, his back to the guard.

Zuko grit his teeth and stepped forwards before he halted. Both Freya and Sokka had a hand on his arms.

"We can't blow our cover." Sokka whispered and Freya nodded through her visor before Zuko stepped back.

"I've had it with your unruly behaviour." the guard said as he walked up behind the prisoner.

"What did I do?" he asked over his shoulder.

"He wants to know what he did." the guard turned to Sokka and Zuko. "Isn't that cute?" he turned back to the prisoner before pausing and turning back to the two boys, raising his visor. Sokka frowned slightly and glanced at Zuko beside him as the guard gave them a disappointed look for their lack of response.

"Uh, yeah, very cute sir." Zuko said quickly.

"Super cute." Sokka agreed. The guard walked away and Sokka sighed.

"You didn't bow down when I walked by Chit Sang." the guard explained as he walked to the prisoner's side, his arms behind his back.

"What? That's not a prison rule." Chit Sang snapped back.

"Do it." the guard demanded, getting up in the prisoner's face, his visor still raised.

"Make me." Chit Sang returned.

There was silence as the two stared at one another before the guard suddenly grinned and backed away. He turned, walking away from Chit Sang casually before he smirked and rose his hand. The fire whip flared and went straight at Chit Sang who spun and grabbed the fire before sending it back. The guard turned, his foot hitting the flame ball and dispersing it.

The guard stood up and shook his head, tutting.

"Tsk, tsk. Firebending is prohibited." he grinned and Chit Sang straightened up. "You're going in the Cooler. You! Help me take him in." he turned to point at Sokka.

"Meet back here in an hour." Sokka whispered before he turned to follow the guard and Chit Sang who went simply.

"What do we do?" Zuko asked, turning to the girl beside him.

"Gather some intel." Freya replied looking around. The prisoners began to disperse, sitting around the yard, some returning to cells. The guards all moved as well, some heading off back inside, others standing guard in the yard, others moved to posts.

"How do we do that?"

"We ask." Freya shrugged "These guys are always here, they'll notice when someone new shows up, let's act the curious person."

"Well, where should we ask?" Zuko asked

"This place has to have a cafeteria or something for the guards, let's find it. Get some food too, haven't had anything yet." she mumbled and she moved off across the yard and over to a guard. Zuko followed.

"Hey," she rose her visor to the guy and he turned to her as she smiled sweetly. "This is my first day, is there any chance you could direct me to the cafeteria?" she wondered. He grinned at her

"Sure darling," Zuko placed a hand on Freya's shoulder to shove past her but she elbowed him in the chest to stop him as the guy left his post and moved through the building.

"So, first day huh?" he asked, making small talk as Zuko followed his with arms crossed behind Freya.

"Yeah, a little exhilarating being in the Fire Nation's tightest prison." she smiled

"Why chose to come here?"

"I was transferred, offered for the job. Thought it would be interesting to see some of the Fire Nations most dangerous criminals." she responded with a shrug.

"Well, I hope you're not disappointed, the place can be a bit dull." the guard responded

"Well first day and there's already been a scuffle so I beg to differ." the man stopped by an archway with a smile at her.

"Here we are." he pointed in where several people sat at tables with drinks and food, all wearing the guard uniform.

"Thank you, you saved me the time finding it." she smiled and he grinned

"Any time cutie." she walked straight in without another word and Zuko followed.

"What was that?" he demanded

"Getting what I want." she responded "Some guys are so gullible all it takes is a pretty face. He just got played." she moved over to the counter and grabbed a tray.

"Do you do that often?" Zuko questioned

"Not yet. Why does it bother you that people are smitten with me?" she teased and he gave her an annoyed look. "Just think of it this way, you have what other's want." she shrugged as she grabbed some food and moved down the line.

"Do I?"

"Oh don't be ridiculous." she responded with a sigh.

"Hey new guy." the two turned to see three people, a women and two men, sitting at a table and looking at the two. "I know it's the rule to have your helmet on at all times but this is the lounge. Relax." he said to Zuko and Freya smiled.

"But what if there's an incident? If I'm not prepared someone could strike me on the head." Zuko responded, walking forwards and the three started laughing.

"Give it a week, he'll loosen up." the women responded as she had a cup in her hand.

"Can the new guy ask you veterans a few questions about the prison?" Zuko wondered, taking a seat as Freya followed and moved around the table, removing her helmet and brushing her fingers through her hair.

"No, you can't date the female guards." the women smirked

"Trust me, you don't want to." the man whispered before his female companion threw her cup at his head, the other guy laughing. Zuko and Freya shared a look as the girl chuckled.

"No, that's not it. The Boiling Rock, it holds the Fire Nation's most dangerous criminals right?" the three nodded "So what about war prisoners?" he asked them

"War prisoners?"

"Yeah," Freya smiled "You got your traitors and enemies of the Nation, does that include prisoners taken during the war? Or are they not counted as bad enough prisoners?" the three shared a look.

"Yeah there are a few war prisoners, mostly you find those who give the Nation the most issues here." the women said thinking.

"Leaders are generally thrown here away from their troops as well, cut off the snake's head so to speak." one of the men agreed.

"So there are some from the other Nations?" Freya wondered taking a bite of her food.

"All from the Earth Kingdom as far as I'm aware." the women shrugged. Freya put a confused look on her face.

"What about from the water tribes?" she asked. The three shook a look.

"There aren't any water tribe prisoners here." Zuko and Freya shared a look.

"That's interesting."

"I didn't think there were many Water Tribe members bothering, they're all hiding behind their wall." the man said chuckling.

"Yeah but that's only the Northern Tribe." Freya reminded him.

"I didn't think the South was vast enough?" the women said looking at her and Freya shrugged nodding at the truth behind that.

"Good point." she said before tucking into her food.

"So Sokka's father isn't here." Zuko said quietly as the two moved through the prison after finishing their meal.

"It seems not." Freya frowned "He's going to be so disappointed."

"Well I guess it makes getting out easier." Zuko said

"I'd agree if we could use the gondola to get out, but I bet all the guards are checked, they'll know we aren't guards." Freya mumbled.

"Let's think about that after we tell Sokka." Zuko decided as they moved out to the yard.

"Yeah if we can find him." Freya grumbled. All the guards had their helmets on and visors down. "Everyone looks the same here."

"He's likely to be away from everyone else." Zuko believed.

"I think that's him." Freya said, pointing subtly up at a guy on a balcony above.

"What makes you say that?" Zuko asked

"Water Tribe members are a lot more tanned than you Fire Nation members." Freya smirked before she went to find a way up by a set of stairs.

Sokka was leaning on the railing as the two approached and Zuko stood rigidly.

"Hey there, fellow guard. How goes it?" he asked awkwardly, rubbing his helmet and Freya rose an eyebrow before raising her visor.

"Zuko?" Sokka asked, raising his visor.

"Hey." Freya said frowning slightly.

"Shh. Listen, Freya and I asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners. I'm afraid your Father's not here." Zuko admitted sadly as he rose his visor, exposing his scar.

"What? Are you sure? Did you double check?" Sokka asked shocked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Zuko admitted and he and Freya shared a look.

"No. No!" Sokka moved off to bash the wall with his fists in frustration.

"I'm really sorry Sokka." Zuko admitted

"So we came all this way for nothing. I failed. Again." Sokka blamed, turning and slinking against the wall.

"No, we had to come and check." Freya said to him. "Best to start at the top and make our way down the other prisons than waste our time with little things." she believed.

"But now we're here for no reason!" Sokka believed

"Not for no reason, we came, we checked, he's not here, so we find out some information as to where he could be." Freya said

"And how do we do that?" Sokka demanded "There could be heaps of prisons in the Fire Nation."

"Sokka, Zuko knows where they all are. It's not that difficult of a feat." Freya assured "Just be happy he's not here, it'll probably be a lot easier to break him out of another prison than this one after all." she shrugged.

Sokka shook his head, still disappointed and the two fire benders shared a look.

"Err, what would Uncle say?" Zuko wondered, his fingers to his chin in thought.

"Probably something about light and darkness and how we have to try to succeed." Freya shrugged.

Zuko turned to her and then looked up at the sky.

"Sometimes clouds have two sides, a dark and light. And a silver lining in between. It's like a silver sandwich." Zuko said, walking to the railing and looking up at them. "So... when life seems hard... take a bite out of the silver sandwich." Freya rose an eyebrow at him completely lost as to how those words were supposed to be helpful.

Sokka however looked at him confused before something caught his attention and he ran to the railing with a grin.

"Maybe we haven't failed after all." he said suddenly, excited and Freya looked at him shocked.

"That's the spirit. I can't believe that worked. I didn't even know what I was saying." Zuko admitted, crossing his arms.

"No, what you said made no sense at all." Sokka admitted

"What you said was terrible." Freya admitted and Zuko looked at her annoyed before she grinned.

"But look, it's Suki!" Sokka pointed down into the yard where there was a girl sitting on a rock, wearing the same red as everyone else, half of her short hair tied backwards and she looked rather down and sad.

"Suki!" Freya grinned before she looked annoyed. "Right, Azula kidnapped her and impersonated her back in Ba Sing Se." Freya said hitting her forehead.

"Prisoners! Back in your cells!" the girl got up and walked across the yard with the other prisoners. Sokka was leaning over the railing grinning with excitement before he suddenly ran off away from the two in a dash. Zuko looked confused.

"What's his deal?" Zuko asked

"He's smitten." Freya smiled.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

Freya moved through the prison, patrolling around the corridors as she took in the place. The only way in and out was on the Gondola, which went from the wall of the volcano, over the boiling water and to a platform above the yard. Watch towers sat at every corner and between every corner to keep an eye on the boiling lake and the land surrounding it.

She'd been to the gondola and asked a few questions, faking curiosity about the Prison's lack of escapees and how it was managed.

The gondola was guarded twenty-four seven, more on the inside than the outside. People were checked once they were in the prison and the guards were ticked off, however most of them stayed at the prison over night as well, having their own quarters for sleeping.

 _Which makes getting out of here harder._ She thought. "Then again they're checked off on the way in, what about the way out?"

It turned out there was not usually a guard stationed at the other end of the gondola, however the controls were all inside the prison, the prison had to approve whoever was visiting in order to even get across the water.

"So even if we're dressed as guards, we can't use the gondola to get out." she muttered as she walked down a hall. "What else is there… and if Suki's coming we can't just walk with a prisoner."

Sokka was currently off talking to Suki, having their reunion in a prison cell, while Zuko was looking out for them. Freya had taken the opportunity of the prisoners being back in their cells to take a look around and snoop. She'd found the control room for the doors, alarms and most of the building as well as that for the gondola's. There was a messenger bay were messenger hawks arrived and left from as well, for information as well as permission requests to visit.

"So if we're caught we've got as long as it takes for a messenger hawk to leave here and get to the palace." she mumbled. "Comforting."

"Freya!" the girl turned around to find Sokka running up towards her.

"Sokka? I thought you were with Suki?" she said looking at him confused. He was panting and had clearly ran to find her. She looked at him as she narrowed her eyes. Something was off.

"What happened?" she demanded

"Well… uh… Zuko… kinda got, arrested." he said as he twiddled his thumbs innocently. He peaked up at her as she looked at him stunned before her expression contorted instantly.

"What?!" she demanded and Sokka shushed her. She took a breath and tried to calm herself, glancing around. No one was nearby. "What happened?" she asked more calmly.

"I was with Suki and Zuko was standing guard outside but another guard had to get in and she wouldn't listen to Zuko when he tried to stop her so he attacked her and I was able to slip out but she called my help and I couldn't blow both our covers! So I arrested him…"

Freya glared at him and he took a step back, his hands up in both protection and innocence.

"You arrested Zuko." she said clearly

"I didn't have a choice."

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Freya whisper shouted "You just exposed Prince Zuko! The guy who declared to his father that he was going to join the avatar and is one of the most wanted people in the Fire Nation!" her voice remained strained as she tried not to raise her voice. "If Azula or Ozai finds out about this we're never getting out!" she snapped "We'd be toast! And we didn't even tell the others where we were going so they'd never find us and they'd blame Zuko for that!"

"Not something I thought about…"

"Clearly!" she snapped angrily.

"What else should I have done?"

"Knocked unconscious! We easily could have said a prisoner did it!" she snapped

"She'd say different when she woke up!" Sokka said

"Not if you hit her hard enough." Freya said through ground teeth. She ran her hands over her face and through her hair in frustration. "I can't believe you! Zuko's going to be the best watched prisoner in here now! How do you expect us to break him out!? As well as Suki!"

"I'm still working on it."

"Sokka I am so mad with you right now I wanna fry you, so you better figure something out!" Freya threatened and Sokka blinked at her worriedly.

"I will." he nodded.

She groaned and shoved past him, throwing her hands into the air.

"Where are you going?"

"To see what's happening with Zuko!" she snapped back. "Because clearly I have to do everything today." she grumbled.

She'd already found the interrogation rooms and she moved to the area of the prison to find a female guard standing outside one of the open doors. She moved up and nodded to the women who nodded back before looking into the room. Two people occupied it, one was Zuko, leaning on the back wall with one foot up against it and his arms crossed. The other was an older man. He had a headband around his forehead that had a viking hat like symbol across the front. Zuko was looking at the man slightly surprised.

"How did you know who I am?" Zuko asked

"How could I not? You broke my niece's heart." Freya pursed her lips as Zuko looked surprised and stood up straight.

"You're Mai's uncle?" his face was guilt stricken. "I never meant to hurt her."

"Quiet!" he snapped "You're my _special_ prisoner now. And you best behave. If these criminals found out who you are, the traitor prince who let his nation down. Why, they'd tear you to shreds." the man smirked slightly.

"So what's in it for you?" Zuko asked, crossing his arms. "Why don't you just tell my Father and collect the reward."

"Oh in due time believe me, I intend to collect." the man smirked before he walked out of the room. "Watch him." he said turning to Freya. "Inside the yard and out."

Freya had to stop herself from smirking.

"Yes sir." she responded before he walked away with the other female prisoner. Freya stood outside the room and watched them go, she still didn't move when he'd turned the corner for a bit before she opened the door and walked in. Zuko looked up at her as she removed her helmet.

"I swear, you boys…" she began annoyed

"Freya… I'm sorry."

"You should be." she hissed, dropping her helmet, which clanged on the floor, but neither acknowledged this. "Fortunately for you, I'm more mad at Sokka." she took a breath. "On the upside I've just been assigned as your own personal guard." she said crossing her arms.

"Really?" he smirked but she rose an eyebrow and he lost it. "Sorry."

"Look, with you now a prisoner and Suki needing escaping too, we've got to be seriously careful, if the warden asks about any accomplices you have, you tell him about me and not Sokka. If anyone's gonna get us out of here it's him, but he'll have a tough time doing so if he's locked up." Freya said

"I wont throw you under the bus too."

"You might have to." she shrugged "That's what happens when you get caught." he frowned.

Freya grabbed her helmet from the floor before she opened the door and stood beside it, Zuko looked confused.

"Come on, your guard gets to punish you." she smirked as she pulled her helmet back on and Zuko sighed. "Be glad I'm not putting you in one of those coolers for sheer stupidity." she said as she shoved his shoulder and he stumbled a little.

"Hey."

"Shut up." she smirked.

Freya leaned on the wall, her arms crossed and her helmet on but her visor up. Before her Zuko was mopping the floor, cleaning it as many other prisoners were doing the same. Among them was Suki as she and Zuko worked together beside a staircase.

"Aren't you going to help?" Zuko whispered to Freya.

She simply rose an eyebrow and he sighed.

"I feel like you're enjoying this."

"Very much." she nodded smirking.

Footsteps sounded and Sokka walked down, turning to face the two as he had his eyes covered with his helmet and visor. He smiled at Freya and she nodded her head to the two as he smiled.

"Oh, good. You guys have met." he said to the two prisoners.

"A…Actually, we met a long time ago." Suki admitted as she glanced at Zuko, the two still cleaning.

"We did?" Zuko asked

"Yeah, you kind of burned down my village." She shot Zuko an angry look as Sokka placed a hand on his helmet feeling sorry for the boy.

"Yeah it was the first place I really beat you up." Freya smirked as Zuko had stopped surprised. Freya walked over to Suki.

"Oh. Sorry about that. Nice to see you again." he said and Freya gave him a look.

"Feel free to beat him up for that." she smirked and Suki grinned as Zuko looked at the two, casting Freya a look but she just winked at him. The two put their mops down and the four crouched behind the stairs, Sokka checked around as he followed Freya to join them.

"So? What you got?" Freya asked Sokka.

"I think I have an escape plan." he lifted his visor as he looked at the two prisoners. "I checked out the Coolers again, the whole point of them is to keep firebenders contained, right?"

"Yeah…" Zuko said

"So they're completely insulated and sealed to keep the cold in. Well to keep the cold in it also has to keep the heat out, right?" Sokka grinned

"Sokka." Freya sighed

"Just get to the point Sokka." Suki said and the two girls shared a look.

"It's a perfect boat for getting through the boiling water." Sokka explained as he wove his hand in a waving motion.

Zuko and Suki shared a skeptical look with Freya.

"The cooler as a boat? Are you sure?" Zuko asked

"I'm telling you, it'll work." Sokka said confidently. "I walked around the perimeter. There's a blind spot between two guard towers. It's the perfect launching point. I already tested it out. We'll roll the cooler into the water and either we just float with the current or Freya can get us across in no time." he looked at her and she shared a look with Suki and Zuko.

"That I likely can do." she admitted

"Regardless, it'll take us straight across. As long as we don't make a sound, no one will notice. And bing, bang, boom we're home free." Sokka grinned

"But how are you going to get the cooler out?" Suki asked

"Yeah," the four all looked up surprised to see the prisoner who'd caused the scuffle when the three had first arrived leaning over the banister of the stairs, ears dropping on them. "How are you going to get the cooler out?" he ducked under the railing to land with the four, crouching.

"What?" Sokka panicked "We didn't. We… We didn't say that." He waved his arm around dismissively as Freya dropped her head at his terrible lies.

"Yeah, you heard wrong." Zuko said, sounding much more convincing.

"I heard you hatching an escape plan and I want in." Chit Sang said, ignoring their lies.

"There's nothing to get in on." Zuko continued

"Yeah, the only thing we're hatching is... an egg?" Sokka said shrugging. Zuko and Suki sighed at Sokka's lame attempt, Zuko dropping his head and Suki hitting her forehead while Freya bashed the back of his helmet in a head-slap.

"Seriously?" she demanded as he complained and rubbed the spot.

"Ok, well, I come with you or the Warden hears about this egg too." Chit Sang threatened.

"I guess we have no choice." Suki said looking at Sokka.

"Okay, you're in." the boy agreed.

"But you better not blow this!" Freya warned annoyed.

"Now, first we need someone to unbolt the Cooler." Sokka reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrench, handing it to Zuko. "From the inside." Zuko put the wrench into his pocket while Chit Sang smirked.

"Oh, I can get you inside." he said. "You, bump into me, and play along. In order to get put in the cooler, you need to firebend."

"Seems simple enough." Freya said and Zuko nodded for Chit Sang to stand and walk out from behind the staircase. He stood a little ways away and crossed his arms over his chest smirking.

Zuko picked up his mop and began mopping the floor, backing up until he bumped into Chit Sang.

"Hey, what are you, stupid," Chit Sang grabbed Zuko's shoulders to push him but Zuko grabbed Chit Sang's in return, the two battling for dominance. "Watch where you're going!" Chit Sang threw Zuko but he landed on his feet, stumbling slightly before he faced the bigger prisoner.

"Hey, you watch who you're shoving." Zuko responded, he moved forwards and moved his arms to slam them into Chit Sang's chest and push him, causing him to stumble. Chit Sang stumbled backwards and a few people stopped, now watching the two as Zuko followed him.

"I think you mean _whom_ I'm shoving." Chit Sang said pointing at him.

The two grabbed each other's hands, pushing on one another. The prisoners began to gather around, some cheering. Chit Sang ended up on one knee before he pushed on Zuko and the two released one another. Zuko ran at Cit Sang but the bigger man grabbed the prince and threw him to the ground. Zuko slid along the ground as Freya and Sokka moved through the prisoners.

"I need backup over here." Sokka shouted.

Zuko got onto his hands and spun his legs around to get off the floor, moving out of the way as Chit Sang slammed his elbow into the ground. Zuko then shot his fist forwards and Chit Sang jumped to avoid the fire blast that was shot at him.

"No firebending." A guard pointed down the corridor. "Into the cooler."

A prison guard stepped forwards as Zuko stood up. Zuko turned as two guards moved forwards and slammed him into the ground, causing Zuko to groan. They pulled him up and Freya moved forwards.

"I got it." she said "He's my charge by order of the warden." The two guards let go instantly of Zuko's arms and and she grabbed one to pull him from the room.

Suki and Sokka, his visor down shared a look before walking in opposite directions, Suki mopping the floors still.

"Remember your breath of fire when you're in the cooler." Freya whispered as they moved down the corridors. "Like when you were in the North Pole."

"I know."

"Good, just don't freeze to death in there." she said

"I feel like you're really enjoying bossing me around."

"I am actually." she smirked.

They moved along the line of coolers before Freya opened the outer and then inner doors of one and Zuko walked in.

"Good luck." she said before closing the doors on him.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38:

Freya was leaning on the wall by the cooler, listening to the clicks and clanks that were happening within the metal box beside her as she glanced around the hallways, checking for anyone approaching.

One other guard was walking down the corridor and she watched him before he stood before her.

"How's he doing?" Sokka spoke

"Chilly." she shrugged "How we doing?" she returned

"Ready if Zuko is."

"Let's find out." Freya smiled and she opened the two doors. Cold icy mist came out from the second door and revealed the sight inside. Zuko was crouched to the ground of the icy container in which icicles hung on the walls. He had his arms folded in to his chest and was doubled over.

"I can take you back to your cell if you've learned your lesson." Sokka said as he crossed his arms.

Zuko looked up and he took a breath, releasing it for fire to leave his mouth before he looked up at the two, Freya smirking.

"Yes, I have." he smiled before standing up and showing the wrench and all the nuts and bolts caught in his dark maroon top. "Completely."

Sokka and Freya shared a look as Sokka smirked before he rose his visor and leaned in towards the prince.

"I got Suki and Chit Sang out of their cells a few minutes ago. They'll be waiting for us at the shore." he informed

"Just gotta get the cooler down then." Freya shrugged before footsteps sounded. Freya turned as Zuko heard it.

"Someone's coming." The girl stepped forwards and Zuko pulled Sokka into the cooler, the two closing the door to hide behind.

"Yeah, new arrivals coming in at dawn." a male voice sounded. Zuko had a hand on Freya's arm and she shivered as his skin was so cold. She took his hand in her's, warming her hands and he glanced at her as she rubbed his arm to help warm him up. He smiled as a female voice followed the male's.

"Anybody interesting?" Sokka opened the door an inch to look out at the two as they walked past.

"Nah, just the usual. Some robbers, couple of traitors, some war prisoners." Freya and Zuko shared a look before turning to Sokka. "Though I did hear there might be a pirate."

"No foolin'."

"War prisoners. It could be your Father." Zuko realised as the two guards moved off and Sokka looked unsure.

"I know." Sokka looked down

"Well, what should we do?" Zuko shrugged. "Are we going ahead with the plan or are we waiting another night?"

"We're waiting obviously." Zuko turned to the girl "We came here and we have a chance, let's take it." Freya said "Right Sokka?" she asked

"I don't know." he confessed "Is it right for me to risk Suki's freedom? All of our freedom on the slim chance that my dad is gonna show up?" Sokka asked

"It's your call Sokka." Zuko assured.

"I'm willing to stay." Freya said "Hakoda took me in and looked after me, breaking him out of a prison he doesn't belong in is the least I can do in return." she believed "This wouldn't be a hard call if Chit Sang hadn't gotten involved, I can guarantee Suki would be willing to wait for such a reason." she said before looking at Zuko. "I doubt he would though."

Sokka looked at the two and then at the cooler.

"Let's get this down the bank." he said. Freya and Zuko shared a look before they did as the boy said. The three of them unhitched the cooler before the three moved outside. They'd chosen a cooler low down on purpose and they were able to lower it to the rock, roll it to the edge and then, with Freya pushing and the two boys stopping it was clanging and rolling down, they got it over the edge. Freya slid down behind the two boys as their feet skidded down and the cooler pushed on them. Suki was waiting for them with Chit Sang, and so were two other prisoners, a girl and a guy. Chit Sang and Suki ran up to the two boys, helping them stop the cooler from rolling too fast.

"Took you guys long enough. This here's my girl and my best buddy. They're coming too." the guy sat on a rock as the girl waved at them happily. Freya huffed as Sokka looked annoyed.

"Fine, everybody in the cooler. Let's go." they stopped it rolling right at the edge of the water and Freya, Suki, Zuko and Sokka stopped it from going any further. They turned it around long ways, and Sokka moved to a rock where he'd hidden his Water tribe clothes, moving it to look at them.

He paused and Zuko looked at Freya. She shook her head, she didn't think they should leave, but a glance at Chit Sang and his friends made her think that maybe it was the best option. The only option.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Zuko asked as he stood behind Sokka and Suki stood behind him with Freya. "You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself. Redeem your honour. Rescuing your Dad is your chance." Zuko said as Sokka put his sword over his shoulder.

"Your Dad?" Suki asked walking forwards.

"We hit a snag not long ago." Freya said as she joined them. "Sokka and Katara's dad, along with many others, were captured." she explained "Sokka came here to break him out, but he's not here. We heard some war prisoners are coming tomorrow morning just a moment ago. There's a chance Hakoda could be with them." she turned to Sokka who turned around to face them.

"If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe sometimes it's just better to call it quits before you fail." Sokka said

"No, it's not." Zuko and Freya both said.

"Look Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out." Zuko said

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Sokka asked with a raised eyebrow as he stood up and placed a bundle over his shoulder. He walked towards the cooler but Zuko wasn't done.

"Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again." he continued and Freya looked at him unsurely.

"Seriously, not helping." Sokka complained

"Where are you going with this?" Freya questioned as Zuko walked towards Sokka and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You have to _try_ every time. You can't quit because you're afraid you might fail." Zuko said.

"We need to work on your reinforcement work. You need to lead with that." Freya said to Zuko as she walked past him, moving to stand beside Sokka. "Look Sokka, if you never tried because you were afraid of failing you'd have never gotten anywhere. You wouldn't be here at all. And I don't mean just here on this island, I mean here with me, and Katara and Aang. Think about it, if you hadn't tried to save Aang from Zuko in the South Pole, you'd have never have met Suki either, we wouldn't be saving the world." she said to him. "You tried to help Aang, and look where it's got you, you've travelled the entire world, met some awesome people, got a sword." she said "If you just quit before you failed, you wouldn't have that. Aang would be a lonely kid, by himself, not knowing what to do, where to go. The world would be at war, Zuko would be banished, hey I might even not be here at all if I didn't try, I'd have died with all the other air benders." she shrugged as he looked at her. "You cannot give up, you'd never move forward if you did that. And I know you're dad would kill you for giving up so easily." she said crossing her arms.

Sokka looked at her as she turned to Zuko. "That's how you give a pep talk." she said and he huffed before smirking at her.

"Hey, if you lot are done cuddling, can we get a move on?" Chit Sang said, his girl and friend in the cooler already and him waiting for them. He'd pushed the cooler into the edge of the water and was holding the edge to stop it moving off.

"No, I'm staying." he said before dropping his bundle and turning to Freya, Suki and Zuko. "You guys go." Freya scoffed

"Don't be stupid, I came with you here in the first place to help and I'm not leaving if you're not. We're finishing this mission together." she said strongly. "And I'd like to see you change that." she smirked. Sokka smiled

"Thanks Freya." he turned to Suki. "You've been here long enough." he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not leaving without you, Sokka." she said smiling

"I'm staying too." Zuko promised and he took Freya's hand. She bumped him in the side.

"Not me, I'm out." Chit Sang pointed to himself before he pushed on the cooler and jumped into it. "Let's roll baby." the cooler began drifting away from them with the current.

"We gave up our only chance of escaping. I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake." Sokka said

"Probably, but I'm sure we'll work it out." Freya shrugged

"Great, your positive attitude's back." Sokka muttered at her as Suki and Zuko chuckled

"You're forgetting I'm a water bender in the middle of a boiling lake that can scold people." she smirked smugly. "How can I not feel over confident?"

The three shared a smile before she turned to the building. "Sun will be up soon, let's hurry, or we'll miss those who come off the gondola." the three nodded and they made their way up the ridge and back to the building. They followed the same path the three had used the first time and soon the edge of the sky began to lighten up. At the same time the Gondola was moving over one of the lines and towards the prison.

They four came to a halt as there was a cry and they all turned for the waters. They weren't the only one's who heard the noise. A bell sounded from the tallest tower and then the warden's voice sounded above the four.

"Guards! Secure the perimeter and lock down the prisoners. Now!" he shouted. Guards heads were poking and passing over the wall above them as the four leaned against the wall to stop from being seen.

"The plan failed! They're caught." Sokka whispered.

"Let's not stop to be caught too." Freya said before they continued, sliding against the wall and up the pass.

"Get the fugitives and throw them in the Cooler!" the warden shouted.

"Uh, they are in the cooler sir." a guard said

"One that's bolted down and not floating in the water! This is a lockdown!" he shouted back angrily. "We have new prisoners arriving, everything must be completely secure!"

Over the top of their heads shot a harpoon, straight at the gondola, striking true and hitting the back end. It then began to pull in the gondola back towards prison as Sokka, Suki, Freya and Zuko reached the end of the passage and they peaked around the corner, Sokka in front.

"The gondola's moving." they watched as it got closer to the prison and then towards the platform and station connected to it. For a moment they lost sight of the gondola before it was back in view above the platform.

"This is it." The gondola stopped. "If my Dad's not there, we risked everything for nothing." Sokka worried.

"We had to." Suki assured, before she took his hand. The two girls shared a look before looking back at the machine.

"Come on, come on." Sokka muttered.

The door of the gondola was opened by a guard and two stood on either side of the door. A tall guy moved out, his hands cuffed and a tattoo on his left forearm. His hair was dark and greying. He had a large nose ring through his septum and his beard pointed in two.

"Is that him?" Zuko asked

"My Dad doesn't have a nose ring." Sokka returned as Freya watched. Several people followed, one without a shirt and with a bald head. Many more with beards, tattoos, grey hair, old and bent over. They walked in a line across the bridge from the gondola station to the main platform.

"Where is he?" Sokka watched expectantly but the line ended. The prisoners stopped coming after one more with no shirt and a beard. "That's it? That can't be it." Sokka frowned

"I'm sorry Sokka." Suki frowned.

"Oh no." Sokka lowered his gaze as Freya stepped forward.

"Wait." she said and Sokka looked at her. "They're not closing up the gondola." she noticed and Sokka looked back up.

"Hey you, get off the gondola." one the guards said and they all looked at the door. The last prisoner walked towards the door and stepped out to be Hakoda. With his two beaded bunches of hair, his top knot and his hands in cuffs.

Freya grinned and she and Sokka shared a look as they turned back to him.

"Dad."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39:

"Sokka, go to the prisoners. We need to figure out which cell you're dad get's put in." Freya said to him.

"What about you?" Sokka asked

"We're in a lock down, Suki and Zuko need to get back to their cells before anyone realises their missing." she said and the two in question shared a look. "Look out for your dad, talk to him, you two are like peas in a pod and we need another way out of here." she said. "You two, follow me." she said to Suki and Zuko. Suki gave Sokka a smile before the two followed Freya and they moved back to the cells.

"Suki, I'm gonna have to get you back first, technically I'm not suppose to leave Zuko or let him out of my sight." Freya said

"How come?" Suki asked

"Cause he's the Prince of the Fire Nation and therefore a high bounty for the warden when he turns the boy over to his dad." Freya glanced at the boy who cast his gaze away. "He's a _special_ prisoner and I just happen to coincidentally be the one assigned to watch him." she said smirking.

"How'd you manage that?" Suki wondered

"Right place right time." Freya shrugged.

They reached a door and Freya opened it for Suki to step in.

"Sokka and his dad will figure something out then he'll be back. Wait for him." Suki nodded before Freya closed the door.

"You're turn your highness." she smirked and Zuko rolled his eyes as they moved off again.

"You really think Sokka and his dad can get us out of here?" Zuko asked

"I have no doubt." Freya nodded. "Sokka and his father are rather alike, bad humour, brains, smart warriors. Sokka's dad is his hero. They wont stop till they figure something out, and if they don't, then I'm just gonna have to flood the place."

"Are you serious?"

"Why not?" she shrugged "At least flood a section of the place to draw the guards away." she mumbled as an after thought and Zuko chuckled as they reached his cell. "Have some faith." she said as she opened the door. "Yell if you need anything." and she winked at him before closing it behind him. She heard him chuckle a little before she stood beside the door with a grin.

Freya got bored rather quickly and began clicking her fingers, lighting each of them in fire as a way to entertain herself.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked from the other side of the door.

"I'm bored. How do people do this all day, guarding you is a pain."

"Sorry to be a pain."

"You should be." she said before sighing dramatically.

"Freya." the girl turned and Zuko peered through the slit in the door as Sokka rose his visor.

"Thank god, tell me you've got something that doesn't require me to stand here any longer." she sighed

"Zuko." Sokka said as he stood beside Freya on the other side of the door. "Are you there?"

"I'm here."

"I just got done talking to my Dad. We came up with an escape plan together." Sokka said smirking

"Thank god." Freya sighed

"What are you doing here?" the two turned, surprised, to see two other guards, male and female as Sokka turned, lowering his visor before he did.

"I've been assigned to watch this prisoner by the warden." Freya said simply.

"I was just telling this dirty lowlife what I think of him!" Sokka said loudly, pointing at the door.

"Are you to relieve me?" Freya asked

"Well if you've been assigned to him by the warden himself than you'll have to come as well." the female said.

"Come? Where?" Freya wondered

"He's coming with us." Sokka and Freya shared a look as Sokka looked at the door Zuko stood behind.

"Why?"

"Because we have orders straight from the Warden. That's why." the female responded.

Freya's eyes narrowed slightly but she kept her posture and was glad her visor hid most of her face. The warden wanted Zuko back, had he contacted Ozai or Azula already? Where they coming to get him? If so, they were in trouble.

"Could I just get ten more seconds to rough him up a bit?' Sokka punched his fist into his hand grinning slightly.

"Fine, ten seconds." the women agreed, crossing her arms.

Sokka slipped into the room, closing the door behind him and groans and cries sounded from within the room.

"Take that! And this!" Sokka shouted.

"Newbie." the man said as Freya sighed and the women shook her head.

"Do we know why the warden wants him, I didn't think the warden spent much time with prisoners one on one." Freya confessed

"Dunno, just wants to talk to him. Did he tell you why you're to watch him?"

"He didn't need to." Freya said obviously and the two shared a look. "Don't you know who that prisoner is?" she asked but she didn't say anything else as a few more groans came from the room.

The two moved around Freya and to the door which clicked and unlocked. Sokka grabbed Zuko as they walked in and was then shoved off by the other guard.

"Alright, that's enough." the two grabbed Zuko and marched him to the door. Freya glanced at Sokka before she followed.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" Zuko questioned as they moved past the cells. Freya noticed them heading to the interrogations rooms before they came to a door and Zuko was thrown inside. He fell onto the chair that was their before turning to the door.

"I didn't do anything wrong." he snapped back at them.

"Come on Zuko." Freya, who was at the doorway, and Zuko both turned to see someone was standing in the corner of the room beside the door, their head bowed. "We all know that's a lie." she said before walking into the light to reveal Mai.

Freya looked surprised, and so did Zuko.

"Mai." he glanced at Freya who simply moved inside and stood in the corner putting her hands behind her back.

Zuko turned away from her and looked down at the ground as Freya watched the girl.

 _What's she doing here?_ she questioned, unhappily.

"How did you know I was here?" Zuko asked

"Because I know you so well." she said. Her voice was steady but she looked angry as she leaned on the wall. Zuko sat in the chair in the light from the door, his head bowed.

"But... how?" he asked looking at her.

"The Warden's my Uncle you idiot." she said turning her gaze away. Zuko groaned and put his head into his hand. "The truth is, I guess I don't know you." she put her gloved hand into her robe and pulled out a piece of paper, shaking it to unroll it. Freya looked at it, a letter addressed to Mai, and in the far corner, Zuko's signature. "All I get is a letter. You could have at least looked me in the eye when you ripped out my heart."

Zuko glanced at Freya who rose an unamused eyebrow. _You wrote her a letter?_ the boy removed his gaze as though being able to tell what she was thinking.

Freya looked back at Mai, for a girl who never showed emotion, always looked bored and sighed all the time, Freya found it almost surprising to think of Mai as having her heart broken. She frowned and glanced away, she felt bad for her, and responsible.

"I didn't mean to—"

"You didn't mean to?" she interrupted before holding the letter and walking behind him. " _Dear Mai, I'm sorry that you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving."_ she read.

"Stop!" Zuko snapped, turning to her. "This isn't about you. This is about the Fire Nation."

"Thanks Zuko. That makes me feel all better." she threw the letter at the back of his head. It fell away and he rubbed his head.

"Mai, I never wanted to hurt you." he stood up to face her properly. "But I have to do this to save my country."

"Save it? You're betraying your country." Mai believed

"That's not how I see it." he responded and Freya smirked as he looked at her again, removing his gaze quickly. Mai crossed her arms and turned away from him. Freya noticed the stubbornness in the action and was slightly surprised.

"Did you hear, apparently there's an impostor." Freya glanced at the doorway.

"What?"

"Yeah he helped those prisoners escape."

"Who?"

"They're finding out now, the prisoner Chit Sang, remember him, he's identifying the guy now."

Freya glanced at Zuko but he clearly hadn't been listening.

 _Sokka's in trouble… What do we do…?_ she thought worried. She couldn't leave, and if she did it wouldn't look right, she couldn't talk to Suki or Hakoda for she couldn't leave.

 _Suddenly my detail's a pain. Why did Mai have to come here, now?_ she complained, turning back to the two.

The next moment there were bells ringing and doors clicking. The cell doors were all opened and the prisoners were let out into the yard. Zuko glanced at Freya and she shared the look. What ever was happening with Chit Sang and the imposter, it seemed Sokka got out of it. They were in a lock down and the prisoners were being let out? It seemed Sokka was beginning his and Hakoda's plan.

Within the next minute there were bangs and shouts all outside, the guard at the door moved from their positions and Freya moved to the door as well.

"What's happening?" she demanded

"Stay here." they said and they ran off. Freya glanced at Mai and Zuko inside who were watching before another guard ran forwards to the door. Freya stepped out of the way as he turned to Mai.

"Ma'am, there's a riot going on. I'm here to protect you."

 _Riot?_ Freya thought and Zuko looked a her before he nodded slightly.

"I don't need any protection." Mai responded and Zuko laughed slightly.

"Hah, believe me. She doesn't."

The guard walked into the room and Freya got behind him as she looked at Zuko who caught the gaze.

"I'm sorry but I'm under direct orders from your Uncle to make sure nothing happens." Freya spun and kicked the man in the back and into the room and Zuko leap frogged over him and over to her. The man gained his balance and stood right before Mai, blocking her into the corner as Zuko joined Freya.

"Get off of me!" she demanded as the two grabbed the door and they slid it shut on Mai, who spun the guard out of her way and she ran at them. Zuko looked down at her angry and betrayed eyes through the slit in the door as Freya locked it and then removed her helmet.

"Come on." she said quietly and Zuko looked at her before he moved first. Mai turned to Freya who looked back before recognition crossed the spear-throwing girl's face and Freya turned to hurry after Zuko.

"Did Sokka say anything about a prison riot?" she asked as they moved through the halls.

"He said we'd need a distraction to escape and to be in the yard in an hour."

"Guess our hour's up." Freya said as they found the door and headed outside.

People were fighting one another all through the yard, fire was flaring everywhere, there were a few circles around fights as people cheered and dust was clouded everywhere through the yard.

"Where's Sokka?" Freya questioned.

"There!" Zuko pointed and they ran across the yard, dodging and punching a few prisoners as they headed to the base of the gondola station. Sokka was standing there with Suki, Hakoda and Chit Sang. Zuko flipped some guard over his body, moving to Sokka's side and they all turned to them.

"Zuko, Freya good. We're all here." Sokka said

"So what's the plan?" Freya asked "Riot for a distraction, now what?"

"Now all we need to do is grab the Warden and get to the gondolas." he pointed to a high balcony on the main building over looking the yard. There were a group of people there and the warden was one of them.

"And how do we do that?" Zuko asked

"I'm not sure." Sokka confessed turning back to Zuko.

"Argh, I thought you thought this through." Zuko complained

"I thought you told me it's okay not to think everything through!" Sokka said in hysterics.

Freya turned to Suki and the girl looked back as they both grinned.

"Race ya." Freya offered and Suki smirked before they both dashed forwards.

"Maybe not everything. But this is kind of important." Zuko complained, grabbing his head as Chit Sang was watching the two girls.

"Hey, uhh, fellas. I think your girlfriends' are taking care of it." Chit Sang said and the two boys peaked out around the big boy.

Freya and Suki ran at the fighting people, moving through them as Suki jumped upwards and ran across people's heads. Freya shot herself upwards and jumped from shoulder to shoulder with her, ignoring the fighting, dust and fire blasts.

Suki jumped at the wall and crawled up it before she jumped and hooked her feet into a pipe on the lower balcony. Freya launched her way up with a blast of fire and both girls flipped over the railing on the first balcony. Suki dodged the fire blast sent by a guard running at them and Freya spun around to kick him in the back of the head and send him face down to the floor. More guards turned and Suki dodged the fire blasts as she ran at them and tripped one up for Freya to jump over and land feet first on the other's chest, sending him to the floor too.

Suki jumped onto the railing and launched her way the wall as Freya grabbed the railing, curled up and swung herself around it a few times to fling herself up after her. Freya caught Suki's hand and then the railing, swinging them both up as the Warden looked over the railing at them both where they landed on the balcony with him. Freya dispersed the fire blast and Suki slid beneath the guard to sent him, knocking him over before grabbing the warden's outstretched fist and raising her own in his face as she grinned.

"Gotcha." Freya smirked crossing her arms.

"You wouldn't dare." he believed.

Suki spun him around, bending his arm backward as Freya grabbed the other to join them together and Suki grabbed and tied them up with a red sash. She then grabbed his headband, turning it around to act as a mouth guard and pulling it tight.

"Sorry Warden, you're my prisoner now." she smirked. Freya held her fist up and Suki pounded it before slamming the warden into the wall. Sokka, Hakoda, Zuko and Chit Sang joined them, panting and out of breath from having to catch up as the two girls smiled at them.

"We've got the Warden, now let's get out of here." Suki decided

"That's some girl." Hakoda admitted

"Tell me about it." Sokka agreed, smiling.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

The prisoners continued to fight and shout in the yard below as the group made their way from the balcony through the main building and to the gondola station. Chit Sang was given the warden to hold, having thrown him over his shoulder as they ran up a set of stairs, the gondola just before them.

"We're almost there." Suki said as she was in front, Chit Sang at the back.

Two guards stood on the bridge between the main building and the gondola, both of them turned to the seven and with a thrust of their fists fire shot at them all. Freya and Zuko jumped forwards, Zuko shoving Sokka aside and dispersed the flames as the other's stopped behind them. Two more guards joined the first two, their arms up ready to fight.

"Back off, we've got the Warden." Zuko said, stepping to the side. The man turned to look over Chit Sang's shoulder at his guards. In unison the four guards stepped up, loosing their stances, they then stepped aside and stood on either side of the bridge. "Let's go." Zuko waved them forwards and Freya went first. They watched the guards, ready for an attack from them but they just stood and watched. Zuko stopped, turning to the fire benders and everyone moved past him to the gondola.

Suki grabbed the gondola door, sliding open.

"Everyone in." she waved her hand and Sokka moved into the cart first followed by everyone else. Freya stood waiting for Zuko who finally turned his back on the guards.

"Freya get in." he told her

"Well come on then." she said

"Someone's got to start this thing." he said as he moved to the leaver and grabbed the handle. "Go."

"You better jump." she snapped before she entered the gondola and Zuko pushed on the leaver. The wires began to move and the wheels turned, allowing the gondola to move up toward the outer wall. Zuko glanced at the gondola as the other's all watched him before he began to kick at the leaver.

"Hurry up Zuko!" Freya called as the guards were now running at him. He turned to them before he spun around, kicked the handle and broke it. He then ran at the gondola which was still moving and leaped over the raining at it. Freya and Sokka reached forwards as fire blasts followed him and Freya caught his wrist as Sokka grabbed his hand. Sokka hung to the side of the window as Zuko swung from their hands and Freya pulled him up. He climbed in and to his feet on the inside of the cart.

"What are you doing?" Sokka questioned

"Almost looked like you were planning on staying behind." Freya said

"I'm making it so they can't stop us." Zuko admitted

"Way to think ahead." Sokka admitted as Hakoda was looking back at the prison.

"We're on our way." Suki smiled

"Wait. Who's that?" Hakoda called and they all moved to the window beside him.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Freya groaned.

Azula was standing on the platform staring up at the gondola.

"That's a problem." Zuko said as the guards bowed to her. She had Ty Lee with her in her usual pink. "It's my sister and her friend."

"What are they doing here?!" Freya demanded "Ugh, this could not just go smoothly could it!" she turned and hit Zuko's shoulder.

"What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed it.

"For having a crazy sister." she grumbled.

They all watched as Azula turned to one of the guards as they stood back up and grabbed the cuffs she had at her waist. Ty Lee jumped up onto the roof of the gondola station by the lines and began to run up along them. Azula launched herself into the air in a flurry of flames and attached one of the cuffs to the line. Blue flames shot from her other hand and foot and she went sliding up along the line towards the gondola.

"This is a rematch I've been waiting for." Suki confessed

"Me too." Zuko agreed before he reached for the roof and pulled himself out of the window to the climb onto the roof. Sokka and Suki climbed out through the windows to join him as Zuko took a bending stance.

"Gods sake." Freya complained shaking her head. "Hokada, watch the warden." she said and he nodded before she climbed up onto the roof as well.

Ty Lee ran to the edge of the gondola's metal structure and twirled her way over the roof. Suki turned, her back to Zuko and Sokka as Ty Lee landed before her, smiling as usual. Azula landed before Zuko and Sokka, who'd both turned to look at Ty Lee and turned back to Azula. Freya stood between the three, glancing from one to the other.

The two girls stood at opposite ends, facing the four before Azula rose her hands and then crouched, spinning around for fire to flare from her foot. Zuko moved out of the way and Freya slammed her foot down to disperse it from hitting Suki behind her. Ty Lee smiled at Suki before Suki stepped forward and the two blocked and struck at one another. Ty Lee was unable to get any of her paralysing jabs at Suki who blocked her arms. Suki knocked at Ty Lee who did a hand stand at the edge of the roof before she swung down over it. The pink girl simply swung herself inside, across the windows and back up behind Suki, where Freya wove her arm and the cartwheeler moved to dodge a streak of boiling hot water. It hit the roof and steam left in it's wake.

Suki moved back towards Ty Lee and the two twirled around as Freya ducked a shot of blue fire from Azula. Sokka stood behind Zuko with his black space sword in hand as Zuko dispersed Azula's fire blasts. Sokka stepped around him and swung his sword, Azula ducking to dodge it before the younger boy stepped back behind the prince as Azula shot another fire blast for her brother to disperse and return. She jumped to avoid it, turned around and grinned at the two before she noticed the tip of the black sword coming at her face. She stood on the edge of the gondola roof and Zuko tried to send her over with two fire blasts but Azula jumped and landed, planking, on her hands. She looked at them annoyed before bringing her feet through the gap of her hands and shooting blue fire from them. Both boys jumped and dodged out of the way and a flurry of white flames shot out as Freya blocked it, stopping it from hitting the two girls behind her.

"Cut the line!" Freya looked down in surprise as the warden's voice shouted from below her and towards the guards at the base.

Freya looked at the lines to see two metal poles being brought by a few guards and then jammed into the metal of the wheels which turned to feed the line and move the gondola.

"Hold on!" Freya shouted, interrupting Azula shooting another blast at her brother before the entire gondola swung and they all stumbled about on it's roof.

Sokka lost his footing and went sliding towards the edge of the gondola roof, his sword in one hand and unable to cling to anything with the other. Zuko gapped and reached to grab his hand and stop him before he could go over and the gondola stopped rocking in the same moment. Suki had lost her footing and was lying on her side as Azula regained her balance and Ty Lee jumped her way up the stem of the gondola to the top of the line. Sokka was pulled to his feet as Freya looked back at the wheels and she gapped. The guards had a saw and were pulling it backwards and forwards across the line to cut through it.

"They're about to cut the line!" Ty Lee shouted at Azula. Azula turned back to see the guards with the saw before she noticed the other gondola moving towards them and towards the prison.

"Then it's time to leave." Azula decided smirking. She slammed her hands and a foot down and blue fire shot from her hands and feet, shooting her into the air. "Goodbye Zuko." she said as the boy looked up at her. Azula turned over and landed on the roof of the other gondola, holding a few guards and Ty Lee jumped and flipped over to land beside her. She frowned at the lot on the other gondola as they were level with one another and then began to descent back towards the prison.

Freya looked at Zuko and he nodded before the four all climbed back down into the gondola through the windows.

"They're cutting the line. The gondola's about to go!" Zuko informed Hakoda

"I hope this thing floats." he said.

"Don't worry, I got that covered." Freya assured as she moved up beside Hakoda. "I may be able to remove those rods from the wheel too…" she looked slightly unsure though "Problem with that is I could very easily miss at this distance and the line's a bit too fragile for error now." she muttered before she looked surprised.

One of the guards had been knocked away from the saw and to the gondola's station where he stayed as though stuck. The other quickly followed and Freya looked surprised as someone else had joined the guards on the platform. Her pale complexion and dark hair was recognisable to Freya.

"Zuko!" she said surprised as she watched the girl avoid the fire blasts and knives went flying at the guards. One of the metal rods was knocked from the wheels by one of the guards she pushed back and she subdued them all rather quickly. She pinned another to the ground before she jumped forwards and kicked away the other rod, allowing the wheel to begin turning and the gondola to move. Sokka, Suki and Zuko stood with Freya as Sokka peered down at the prison.

"Who is that?" he asked as they peered at the fighting continuing to go on and the girl turned towards them.

"It's Mai." Zuko and Freya said, sharing a look.

"What is she doing?" Freya questioned before she frowned and glanced back at the girl.

The gondola moved along the line before it began to rise back up and to the exit on the outside of the volcano lake. It came to a stop and Suki ran out followed but Sokka, Freya, Zuko and Hakoda. Chit Sang was last to leave with the warden before Hakoda told him to return the warden to the gondola. The man was thrown inside, tied up and gagged again as he looked at the man from the floor.

"Sorry Warden, your record is officially broken." Hakoda said before he followed the others.

They ran up the ridge and away from the gondola station, away from the prison before Freya glanced around, they'd broken the war balloon and had no way of escaping the island.

 _Well, besides with your water bending._ she reminded herself.

"Well, we made it out. Now what?" Suki wondered as Zuko stopped and looked back at the prison. Freya and Sokka noticed and stopped to turn to him.

"Zuko, what are you doing?" Sokka questioned

"My sister was on that island." he said

"We noticed." Freya nodded

"Yeah and she's probably right behind us. So let's not stop." Sokka thought as the others looked at him.

"What I mean is she must have come here somehow." Zuko turned and ran up a ridge, looking around before he pointed. "There." the other's all joined him and looked down the cliff he stood on. "That's our way out of here." far below them was a war ship, tethered to the ground.

Freya smirked. "Perfect." and she wove her hands for the water of the ocean below them to go rushing up towards them. With a few thrusts of her fingers it froze and a slide stood before them before she grinned and jumped. The girl went sliding down on her feet as the ice twisted and turned slightly before it came to a stop at the base of the war ship.

Sokka and Suki shared a surprised look as Zuko followed her before they did the same, Sokka yelling as he slid down on his backside behind the other two. Chit Sang brought up the rear and when everyone stood with her Freya melted the slide away.

"Nice thinking." Zuko said

"Fast and efficient." Freya said as she looked at the war ship. "Bet there's crew on board, I hope someone knows how to fly this thing." she said before they all ran onboard.

Night had fallen by the time they got from the boiling rock to the Western Air Temple. Suki turned out to be quite the pilot and along with Hakoda and with a few directions from Zuko, who had an idea of how they were built, they worked out all the knobs, dials and leavers.

The moon shone down as the war ship was lowered beyond the cliff to where the Western Air Temple sat. Aang, Katara and Toph stared at it surprised as a ramp was put down from the war ship to the solid platform they were on and Freya, Zuko and Sokka disembarked first.

"What are you doing in this thing? What happened to the war balloon?" Katara questioned

"It kind of got destroyed." Zuko smirked

"And we sunk it." Freya added

"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip." Aang said

"Did you at least get some good meat?" Toph wondered

"I did." Sokka smiled "The best meat of all. The meat of friendship and fatherhood." Suki and Hakoda walked out from the war ship and Chit Sang followed them.

"I'm new. What's up everybody?" He smiled at them

"Dad." Katara smiled before she ran to her father.

"Hi, Katara." the man embraced his daughter as Chit Sang and Suki followed him off of the warship.

"How are you here? What is going on? Where did you go?" Katara asked turning to Sokka and Freya.

"We... kind of went to a Fire Nation prison." Sokka admitted guiltily.

"Broke in and then broke out and we found Suki while we were at it." Freya shrugged "No big deal." Zuko smirked at her as Sokka chuckled before Katara grabbed her brother and pulled them into a family hug.

"Seriously, you guys didn't find any meat?" Toph complained.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41:

Birds woke up the morning as the sun began to rise, shining in on the Western Air temple and over all it's current inhabitants. The sleeping bags were arranged in a circle around the empty fire pit. Freya smiled at everyone, Chit Sang snoring and only a corner of his blanket covering him while Hakoda had his arms on his chest respectfully. She was the first one awake, moving a few things around as Aang slept against Appa's fur.

There was a yawn and Freya turned as Aang rubbed his eyes.

"Morning sleepy head." she smiled as Aang smiled at him and looked at the water fall in which the sun was shining through. Appa rose his head with a slight groan as he awoke too and the birds were playing in the water, singing.

They suddenly flew away however before something red and cylindrical came flying over the edge of the floor and through the stream of water falling from the roof.

"Bomb!" Freya shouted, dropping the pot in her hand and spilling water everywhere. Appa growled and Aang jumped forwards to wave his staff and send the bomb away, causing it to crash into the roof high above them with an explosion. Freya ducked as everyone behind her jumped awake from the noise. Another one followed and Freya swung an arm to knock it away as the others sat up behind her.

Aang and Freya ran forwards to the end of the platform where the bombs were coming from only to see three warships rising up through the mist. The ground exploded as another bomb hit a bridge to their right and the two benders shared a look before they ran back to everyone as they were getting to their feet. Appa followed and Aang spun around his staff before a large shot of air travelled around the walls. The slanted metal shafts that sat between the stone pillars all turned and incased all of them, blocking out the bombs and warships. The ground continued to shake as the bombs hit the outside and the stone above their heads began to crumble as its building shook.

"Watch out!" Zuko ran forwards and grabbed Katara, knocking her sideways as the stone broke apart and fell to the floor, causing everyone else to scatter.

"What are you doing?!" Katara demanded as she and Zuko came to a stop.

"Keeping rocks from crushing you." he confessed

"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get off me now." she snapped as she got up and moved away from him.

"I'll take that as a thank you." Zuko muttered.

Haru and Toph moved to the back wall, still made of stone and earth, and with a shove of the hands a tunnel opened up, the earth disappearing backwards and through the ground.

"Come on, we can get out through here!" Toph shouted as Freya moved with Aang to take Appa's reins. They pulled as everyone moved to hole to try and get the bison to follow.

Zuko however was the only one not to run to the escape.

"What are you doing?" Aang asked as Zuko stared at the wall the ships were behind. Everyone else paused as well.

"Go ahead, I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit." Zuko said

"What? No!" Freya snapped

"Zuko, no!" Aang agreed as Sokka and Katara fan back to the two, Freya moving off after him only for Katara to grab her arm.

"Get off!" she snapped

"Leave him be." Katara said

"Just because you don't give a rats ass about his life doesn't mean we're all the same!" Freya shouted at her and Katara looked surprised.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here." Sokka said as he grabbed Aang. The two boys pulled on the bison's reins as Zuko jumped through the breaking sheets that protected them.

"Zuko!" Freya called as she moved to watch him run to the edge of the platform, dodging the falling rocks as she did. A bomb landed right in front of him and Freya gasped as there was another explosion before the dust began to clear and he was facing a tall platform rising some a fourth war ship. Standing on top of it was Azula.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded as she grinned manically.

"You mean it's not obvious yet I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!" she shouted back at her brother before turning herself over the railing and shooting her feet at her brother for blue flames to shoot at him. Zuko turned to run back towards Freya as the ground shook again before Zuko was blown off his feet from the blast.

"Zuko!" Freya called, jumping the wall and hurrying towards him. "Don't be stupid, let's go." she said as she helped him sit up.

More rocks tumbled and the ground began to crack. The entire building they had ben staying in was crumbling from the bombs. Freya looked up at it all worried as Zuko got to his feet and ran away from her.

"Zuko! For god's sake listen to me!" she snapped as he ran across the uneven ground, ignored the fire being shot at him and ran at a pillar as it broke. Freya looked around as everything shook before she slammed down her hands and went shooting along the ground as the roof above her collapsed. She shot over the edge of the building and grabbed the edge to stop her falling through the canyon as rocks tumbled around her. She turned to see Zuko firing at his sister who jumped from her platform to avoid them, while Zuko hit the side of the ship, scrambling for something to grab onto, before he fell away and down below the mist.

"Zuko!" Freya screeched in despair. She released the edge of the building and plummeted down after him as she waved her arms and the water that'd been pouring into the pool shot down after her.

Toph had taken the breaking earth and shot it together to create a cover over the bison as the rest of the building had fallen away. Appa was pulling on his reins still held by Aang, Katara and Sokka, resisting as he groaned and complained about heading into the tunnel.

"I can't get him to go in there. Appa hates tunnels." Aang admitted as they pulled and the ground shook.

"Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here." Katara believed

"We'll have to finda way." Aang said as he released the reins and Appa stopped shouting.

"We need to split up." Sokka decided, turning to everyone in the tunnel waiting for them. "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." he instructed

"No," Katara said as Sokka addressed his father. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again." she argued

"It'll be okay, it's not forever." Hakoda assured as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

Toph walked towards the cover she'd made as Katara hugged her father. She ran towards the bison as Hakoda turned to Sokka. They shared a hug as well before Sokka took Suki's hand and they ran after the others. Hakoda watched his children before he turned and lead the way for the others, moving through the tunnel for the airship.

Katara climbed into the saddle first before helping Suki up and Sokka followed. Aang turned Appa around as Toph placed a hand on the wall.

"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there." she said running for the bison and using the earth to launch her into the air and onto the bison's saddle as Aang climbed up as well, taking the reins.

"Umm, there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." Suki admitted

"Where's Freya when you need her?" Sokka complained as the ground shook again.

"We'll get through, let's go." Aang said positively.

Toph broke the earth and a shield of it stayed at the bison's head as they shot through the air. Azula turned as the bison growled and sent fire at it but it only hit the rock acting as a shield as they flew straight past and over her head. The rock broke away as they passed and Azula smirked before a war ship rose up behind her. She turned to find Zuko and Freya standing on top of it, Ice was cased along the side and with a wave of Freya's hand it unfroze and gathered around her, also released her and Zuko's feet which she'd stuck to the aircraft to stop them being thrown off.

Zuko and Azula stared at one another before the prince went running down the side of the air ship and jumped, shooting for his sister who shot a funnel of blue fire at her brother as he fell. He spun in the air and kicked it away before shooting at her in return while Freya had the water grab her arm and then flicked it over to the rudder of the air ship, it cut through before she reached for one of the many wires on Azula's air ship as she jumped and it pulled her over. The ship she'd left spiralled and crashed into the cliff the air temple was built into as Zuko landed on the ship with Azula, chasing after her as she'd stepped back out of his way.

They both fired and dispersed at one another, orange and blue fire flying between them. Appa was flying across the tops of the clouds as Katara had water swirled around and was blocking the fire blasts that shot at them. The guards on the air ships were firing at them simultaneously. Appa flew up the side of the airship, avoiding the blasts as Freya ran across the top of Azula's ship and launched herself into the air with a blast of fire towards another. She wove her hands around as lightning sparked around her before firing it at one of the propellers of the airship ahead of her where it exploded and the ship began to turn and slightly dip downwards.

"Aang!" she shouted as she turned for the bison and he turned for her as the fires left her feet, causing her to drop rapidly and fall downwards.

Zuko was dispersing blast after blast from Azula, getting closer and closer to her before they both rose their fists, surrounding them in fire, and slamming them together. The blue and orange collided in a bang and a flash of fire. Freya gasped as Appa flew towards her, she stretched her hand out, turning herself from feet first to head first for Aang to catch her hand, pulling her down beside him.

Zuko and Azula had both been blown backwards. Both of them were sliding and tumbling down the sides of the airships before falling and being thrown off and away from the metal. Both were falling down through the air, with nothing left to catch them, Zuko staring at the mist below him with wide eyes. Aang angled the bison and turned for Zuko dipping downwards before they flew right under the prince. Katara stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him down with a grunt as they shot under, past and then away from Azula.

"Are you alright?" Freya demanded of him, looking over the saddle edge. He sat up, nodding to her before they turned to Azula. She was still falling, flailing about in the air.

"She's not going to make it." Zuko thought as he watched.

Azula moved her arms and legs and fire shot from the bottoms of her shoes, sending her shooting towards the cliff face. She turned and with a knife in her hand she stabbed it into the wall, her feet skidding along the rocks as her hair all fell out of it's usual pristine bun. She skidded down the cliff, dust flying from the collision, before she come to a stop.

"Of course she did." Zuko muttered. He turned away from her as the bison flew away and Azula grinned after them, her hair blowing around her face.

"What was that even about…?" Freya mumbled "What was wrong with her?"

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked

"Azula's so much more cunning than that, and her only plan is to throw bombs at us while we're sleeping? Seriously?" they all shared a look "I don't know, something just felt… different." Freya mumbled. She climbed into the saddle and hit Zuko across the shoulder, surprising everyone.

"Don't do that again! You almost fell to your death twice! Are you really that stupid!?" she demanded. Sokka and Suki shared a smirk as Zuko blinked at her. Katara showed no interest before Zuko smiled at Freya slightly.

"Sorry Freya." she groaned in response.

"I feel like throwing you overboard." she complained, throwing her arms in the air and moving to sit beside Aang. "Scared the hell out of me." she grumbled as Aang grinned at her.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42:

The moon sat just above the the horizon, shining over the water. Light lit up a small patch of grass as a fire had been lit and the seven of them sat around it, tents pitched in a circle behind them all and Appa lying a little ways off. The sky was dark and they were were sitting and eating their dinner.

"Wow, camping. It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?" Aang said

"If you really want to feel like old times, I could, uhh… chase you around a while and try to capture you." Zuko joked

"Not that you could catch us." Freya shrugged as the other's chuckled, Katara being sarcastic.

"I caught you." he said and she paused as they all snickered at her annoyed face.

"I had to be unconscious for you to do so." she said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"To Zuko." Sokka said as he rose his cup. "Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today, he be our hero."

Toph, Aang and Suki rose their cups as well before cheering with Sokka.

"Here, here." Toph knocked Zuko's shoulder and Aang elbowed the other.

"Come on Freya, toast." Aang said nudging her on his other side as she hadn't done so.

"I wont toast to him trying to kill himself." she said turning her nose away, earning a chuckle from the others again as Zuko smiled softly.

"I'm touched. I don't deserve this." he thought

"Yeah, no kidding." Katara said and everyone turned to her as she was glaring. She got to her feet and turned to walk away.

"What's with her?" Sokka questioned.

"I wish I knew." Zuko said as he stood up and walked off after her.

"What's with him?" Sokka continued as Freya sighed.

Katara still didn't trust Zuko, and she seemed determined to stay angry at him despite all he'd done, saving them from Combustion Man, helping Aang get over his fear of fire, helping Sokka and getting her dad out of prison, saving them from Azula.

"She seems adamant about hating him." Freya said

"But he's done so much for us." Aang said

"Yeah, but you forget, Katara and I were trapped with Zuko in the catacombs in Ba Sing Se before Azula shot you." she said "I got Katara to trust Zuko, to realise he was a person and things weren't easy for him and that he had a good side. And then he turned around and…" she sighed "Katara let her guard down and I think she can't trust him after she already gave it a shot." Freya admitted

"What about you?" Suki asked

"I've always trusted Zuko." she said "I've trusted him to do everything to get home, to have his banishment lifted, because he wanted was his father's love. And I always believed that wouldn't make him happy, but he wasn't going to stop until he realised what he'd been fighting for, didn't even exist." they all shared frowns "Ozai never cared about Zuko, that's why he burned and banished a thirteen year old. He favoured Azula, and even she just progressed in order to win her father's appreciation. When he went home Zuko finally realised what he'd been fighting for just wasn't there. He now has no loyalty to his father. I trust that right now all he wants to do is the right thing, to save his nation and the only way to save it, is to stop Ozai." she said. She looked off after Zuko and Katara. "I just don't think Katara's really letting any of those facts in."

"Maybe you should talk to her?" Toph offered but Freya only scoffed

"She'll just say I've been swain by my feelings or I'm letting him corrupt me again." Freya rolled her eyes. "I'm not the person she'll listen to. Aang maybe you should try." she said turning to him.

"Me?" Aang asked surprised and Freya smirked at him. Aang blushed. Suki leaned closer to Freya as she looked amused.

"Am I missing something?" she whispered

"Very likely." Freya nodded.

The fire was put out as the night set in and everyone had finished their food. Everyone moved to their tents beside Freya who was brushing Appa and waiting for Katara and Zuko to return. The girl did first, shoving her way into her tent rather harshly before Zuko followed. Freya walked up to him as he looked at Katara's tent.

"You alright?" she asked

Zuko was silent for a moment. "What do you know of Katara's mother?"

"Nothing really." Freya sighed "She had already passed before I came out of the ice. But I know she was killed in a raid of the South pole done by the Fire Nation. Something like sixty years ago the Fire Nation started raiding the South Pole, taking away Water Benders. The South was not nearly as defendable nor as big as the North, and they were closer to the Fire Nation. In order to start winning the war and to remove as many obstacles as possible I guess the Fire Nation decided to try and limit the water benders, their opposites. I think the raid that killed Kya was the last." Freya said.

Zuko glanced to the side and Freya watched him. "What's wrong?" she asked

"Katara's mad at me, remember in Ba Sing Se when she mentioned her mother?" Freya nodded "She just did it again. I asked how I could make it up to her, for what I did in Ba Sing Se, and she mentioned bringing her mum back." Freya frowned "This is clearly eating at her, now for some reason more than ever."

"Well, she never got any closure from what happened. She doesn't know why her mum was killed, or why the raid even happened. When Katara was born she was the last water bender in the South pole, there was no other reason to raid the South, and Katara was still just a kid, she had no experience." Freya confessed "She doesn't know why."

"Then we need to get her answers." Zuko said and Freya blinked

"Um, how do you intend to do that?" she asked as Zuko thought.

"First I need to learn more." he muttered and he turned away from her. She rose a confused eyebrow as Zuko headed for Sokka's tent.

"What's up with Zuko?" Aang asked as he walked over to her.

"I uh… think he's plotting." she said unsurely

"Plotting what?"

"How to make Katara like him."

Aang and Freya shared a look unsurely.

The two benders fell asleep upon the bison's fur while everyone else slept in a tent, besides Zuko. Zuko spent the night sitting outside Katara's tent waiting for her to leave it.

"What are you doing?" Freya mumbled as she stood behind him after the run had risen, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"You're up early?" Zuko noticed

"I'm always first up." she confessed "Why are you outside Katara's tent?"

"I need to talk to her, I didn't want her running off before I could." he said

"So…"

"So I haven't moved."

"Why?"

"I know who raided the South Pole the day Katara and Sokka's mum was killed." Zuko confessed and Freya looked surprised

"Seriously?"

"You said Katara doesn't know why, well, I'm gonna help her learn." he said

"Learn, or hurt?" Freya asked carefully.

"What ever it is Katara needs." Zuko said. There was a ruffling and they both looked up to see Katara leave the tent. She looked at the two and glared down at Zuko as he was sitting on the ground and Freya ran her hands through her hair to pull some of the tangles from it.

She crossed her arms as he was sitting on a piece of rock. His blinked at her as his eyes were bagged and he was slumped in his seat.

"You look terrible." she said before moving to her bag, outside the tent and beside the prince.

"I waited out here all night." he admitted as he stood up and rubbed his eye. Katara grabbed a comb from the bag and began brushing her hair as she glanced at Freya who yawned.

"Don't look at me, I slept. I didn't know he was here." she said

"What do you want?" Katara asked

"I know who killed your Mother." Katara froze in surprise "And I'm going to help you find him." she turned to Freya who had a stern look before she turned to Zuko looking determined.

"How?" she questioned

"I talked to Sokka. I know which fleet came to the South Pole, it was the Southern Raiders. I know how to find them and their commanders." Zuko said.

"You're sure?" Katara said

"Positive." Zuko nodded.

Katara paused for a moment. "Alright." she agreed.

The girl grabbed her bag and Zuko offered to take it from her, swinging it over his shoulder as he followed Katara over to Appa. Sokka was on the floor playing with a chain of flowers as Aang was feeding the bison and Freya followed the two.

"I need to borrow Appa." Katara said strongly

"Why? Is it your turn to take a little field-trip with Zuko and Freya?" Aang asked, his back to the girl as he was giving his bison hay.

Freya looked surprised as she and Zuko shared a look.

"Actually—" Freya began

"Yes, it is." Katara said strongly and the girl paused as Aang turned to Katara surprised, having been joking.

"I didn't know I was invited on this trip." Freya mumbled to Zuko.

"I think I'd feel safer with you there." Zuko mumbled, glancing at Katara's face. It was contorted in a way none had ever seen before.

"Oh. What's going on?" Aang asked unsurely,

"We're going to find the man who took my Mother from me." Katara confessed strongly and Sokka looked up surprised.

"Sokka told me the story of what happened." Zuko admitted as Sokka got up and joined them. "I know who did it. And I know how to find him."

"Umm... and what exactly do you think this would accomplish?" Aang asked and Freya crossed her arms in agreement.

Katara sighed and shook her head at the question. "I knew you wouldn't understand." she turned to walk away.

"Wait, stop, I do understand." Aang said causing her to halt. "You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?" he asked

"She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice." Zuko said

"I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge." Aang said

"Fine! Maybe it is. Maybe that's what I need. Maybe that's what he deserves." Katara said angrily.

"Katara, you sound like Jet." Aang admitted

"It's not the same. Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster." Katara said turning to them

"Katara what's gotten into you? We've been travelling around for almost a year and you've never been like this before." Freya said confused "What's caused this all of a sudden?"

"This is nothing new." she said turning to Freya.

"Your anger is, look at you, you're taking it out on Aang and you've been taking it out on Zuko since he got here." Freya snapped. "Ever since the invasion." she confessed

Katara turned her gaze away angrily.

"Katara, she was my Mother too. But I think Aang might be right." Sokka said

"Then you didn't love her the way I did." Katara shouted and Sokka looked at her speechlessly, hurt across his face as Freya looked surprised.

"Katara…" Sokka muttered.

The girl simply turned away from them all.

"The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed ratviper. While you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself." Aang said

"That's cute. But this isn't air temple pre-school. It's the real World." Zuko believed

"Now that I know he's out there, now that I know we could find him, I feel like I have no choice." Katara said looking at the two boys.

"Katara, you do have a choice. Forgiveness." Aang said

"That's the same as doing nothing." Zuko believed

"No it's not. It's easy to do nothing. But it's hard to forgive." Aang said

"It's not just hard, it's impossible." Katara said before she walked away. Zuko turned and followed her.

Freya sighed. "Look, revenge isn't the answer, but I think Katara does need to find this guy." she turned to the boys.

"But Freya," Sokka began but the girl shook her head.

"Katara might be full of a anger right now, but we all know her. Do you really think, regardless of the situation, that Katara could hurt someone like that?" she asked. The two boys shared a look. "Sokka, she was your mother, but it's a little different for a girl to loose her mother than it is a boy. For a girl, their mother is their role model, just like your father is to you. Katara never got to have her mum play with her hair, or make her nice clothes or gossip about boys. Yet you got to learn about weapons and go hunting with your dad," she said as Sokka glanced downwards. "It's nothing about loving more, it's about all you miss out on. After going to the Fire Nation, after Zuko came, she needed somewhere to direct her anger and she's taking it from the guy who did this. She's not going to feel any kind of peace if she sits here and does nothing." Freya believed.

The boys shared a look before turning back to the girl. She placed a hand on both their shoulders.

"I wont let her do anything she'll regret." she promised.

Katara hardly spoke to the two boys during the day but Freya moved over to her and Zuko while they were whispering.

"So we gonna sneak away tonight?" she said as she stood behind them and the two jumped as they turned to her.

"What?" Zuko asked

"I know you two well enough to know you're both head strong. You want something and you'll charge for it." she said crossing her arms.

Katara and Zuko shared a look.

"We're going when it's dark." Katara said standing up. "We're taking Appa." the girl waited for Freya to argue but she didn't.

"Alright." Freya shrugged and Katara looked surprised. "I'm coming too though, you two together sounds like trouble." she said.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

Katara was tying her hair back into a pony tail, wearing black as Zuko checked over the contents of his bag and Freya sat in Appa's saddle. Aang and Sokka peaked over at them by the bison from behind a rock before they shared a look and joined them.

"So you were just going to take Appa anyway?" Aang asked, drawing the three's attention.

"Yes." Katara answered, glancing at them as Freya leaned on the saddle, her chin resting in her palm.

"It's okay, because I forgive you." Aang said simply before he glanced at her and then grinned hopefully. "That give you any ideas?"

Katara didn't bother to answer as she looked at him. "Don't try to stop us."

"I wasn't planning to. This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man." Aang said looking up at Freya who rose an eyebrow. Zuko got to his feet with his bag and Katara grabbed Appa's horn, pulling herself up to sit at his head. "But when you do, please don't choose revenge." Zuko threw his bag to Freya who caught it. "Let your anger out and then let it go. Forgive him."

"Okay, we'll be sure to do that guru-goody-goody." Zuko said mockingly.

"Shut up Zuko." Freya said as she gave him her hand and hoisted him up into the saddle with her.

"Thanks for understanding Aang." Katara said before she flicked Appa's reins. "Yip yip." Appa growled before flapping his tail and rising into the air with the three.

"And we're not doing this to let her kill the guy." Freya said to Zuko quietly "Make sure you understand that." Zuko looked at her before he turned to Katara, leaning on the saddle.

"We need to find the Fire Navy communication tower. All the navy's movements are coordinated by messenger hawk. And every tower has to be up to date on where everyone is deployed." Zuko said

"They'll know where the Southern Raiders are." Freya said and Zuko nodded "Have the towers changed much in the last hundred years?" she asked

"Yeah, when the Fire Nation first started attacking, many earth Kingdoms tried to get the jump by destroying the towers." Zuko said

"Alright but you know where they are right?" Freya asked

"Yes, I passed many of them during my travels and my uncle had to report to them while he was a General."

"So once we find the communication tower, we bust in and take the information we need." Katara decided

"Not exactly. We need to be stealthy and make sure no one spots us. Otherwise, they'll warn The Southern Raiders. Long before we reach them."

A tower sat through the night, tall and with several holes in it's walls for hawks to move in and out of. Lights and fire sat around it as the top level glowed red. It sat on a very small island in the middle of the water, larger up close with a few buildings at it's base for passing ships and travellers.

Appa flew across the water, skimming it as they were low and quiet, careful not to be spotted. They landed behind a rock below the tower and the three jumped from the bison to the ground. They had masks pulled up over their faces and they turned to run for the water. Katara wove her hand and the water iced as the three jumped onto it before Katara moved them over the water. Freya built it up with a wave of her hands and they rose higher and higher before they were high enough to jump onto the base of the tower.

They moved behind buildings and crouched low when a few guards left one of the buildings, staying out of sight. When the guards had left they ran for the doors, Zuko in front, and ducked inside. They made their way through the halls and then into the ventilation shafts to move for the main control room. A single guard sat at a desk and Freya pointed to the ink bowl she had sitting before her paper. Katara waited until she dipped the brush into the ink and then moved her fingers. The bowl tipped for the ink to spill all over the page and the guards arm. She got up from her seat and moved from the room holding her ink covered hand out. Freya took a finger to the grate and cut through all the bars for Zuko to grab before it could crash to the ground. They pulled it into the vent before jumping down and Zuko moved over the shelves looking for the right info.

"Okay, Southern Raiders." he pulled out a scroll and unrolled it upon one of the tables. It was a map with mountain terrain and three flags were placed along it. "There." he pointed to the top right flag. "On patrol near Whale Tail Island."

"Whale Tail Island, here we come." Katara's eyes narrowed.

Freya welded the grate back into place in the shaft and they moved back quietly through the shafts and then through the buildings. Freya caught them as they jumped from the cliff and they sailed right back to Appa. Katara took the reins and Zuko looked at the map for them to discover their course before they were on their way again. Appa flew through the night and Zuko crashed out on his saddle through the darkness. Katara stayed awake, her eyes forward on the horizon and Freya kept her eye on the map to make sure they were heading the right way.

Zuko woke up again as the sun was rising to see both girls sitting awake, Katara with her back to them.

"You should get some rest. We'll be there in a few hours. You'll need all your strength." Zuko said

"Oh don't you worry about my strength." she glanced back at them "I have plenty. I'm not the helpless little girl I was when they came." she admitted. "Back then I couldn't do anything, and when the black snow came I ran for my mum. She wasn't alone in our home though. There was a Fire Nation soldier, older, tall, his eyes… Mum said something about information, trying to get me out of harms way. Mum told me to leave and to find my dad. He told me to leave, he was harsh. She told me to go find my dad. I did, I ran as fast as I could… and we ran back to the house… But, we were too late. When we got there, the man was gone. And so was she." Katara pulled her legs to her chest.

"Your Mother was a brave woman." Zuko realised.

"I know." Katara said, touching the necklace she always had around her neck.

"Regardless, you still need some sleep Katara, you've been up all night." Freya said and she moved to take the reins from her, sitting beside the girl. "I'll keep us on track, you get some sleep."

"Freya you need sleep too." Zuko said

"I slept a bit." she shrugged as Katara got up and moved to the saddle. She curled herself up in Appa's fur and Zuko moved to sit beside Freya.

"I got this, you get some sleep." he said and he took the reins from Freya in return. She rolled her eyes and sat herself back, leaning on Appa's back.

"I'm not a child." she sighed and Zuko smirked.

The two girls slept until it was dark again and Zuko sat beside Freya, who was curled into his side, her head on his lap, with a telescope in one hand, the other playing with her hair. He woke them both as he spotted something through the telescope and called out.

"There!" Freya shot up instantly

"What?" she said confused as Katara sat up, her head poking over the edge of the saddle.

"The Southern Raiders." Zuko said handing, Freya the telescope as she blinked a few times to remove her drowsiness. She looked through, scanning the water before noticing the grey Fire Nation ship. Their flags were triangular and with Sea ravens curved into a crescent shape on them. Freya chucked the telescope back to Katara and then rubbed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair.

"See those Sea Raven flags?" Zuko said back to her "It's The Southern Raiders."

Freya shook her head before she stood up and Katara lowered the telescope.

"Let's do this."

Appa was angled down to the water and Katara bended the water over his head for them to dive down below the boat in order to approach it stealthily.

Freya began to waved her arms and the water rose above them creating a wave the arose up and then washed over the deck. She then bent her knees and jumped forwards out of the bubble and shot up through the water. She wove her hand and water creeped up the side of the boat and over the deck. Within a moment the soldiers on board were tied up by tentacles and thrown from the boat.

Freya shot out of the water, high into the air, and several more soldiers ran out onto the deck as Katara and Zuko emerged from the other side. A few fire blasts were sent at Freya as she fell back through the air but she spun around and dispersed them as Katara created a wave. A soldier saw it and tapped his neighbour before they all cried out as the wave hit the deck and hit all the soldiers standing by the opposite edge. The boat rocked from the force before Freya landed on the deck and Appa landed with her. Not all of the soldiers were knocked over board and one climbed up before turning to the bison. Katara was already running forward and she blasted straight through his fire blast and he was sent flying over the edge of the boat with a cry. He splashed into the water after flying over the heads of his crew members.

Freya ran for the door on deck as Katara gathered water around her arms and they moved through the corridors of the ship. One door opened as the girls ran past it and Zuko grabbed the wrist of the man who jumped out. The two girls stopped as the guard had a sword in his hand and Zuko took it before bashing him back into the room he'd come from, locking it closed with the sword and the three shared a look and continued through the halls.

"It makes it easy when your ships are all built the same." Freya said as they moved towards helm.

"Technically they're our ships." Zuko returned

"More yours, you're the prince." she said before they came to the helm door and paused.

"This is it, Katara. Are you ready to face him?" Zuko asked.

Katara responded by pulling down the mask from her face and spinning around. She shot her arms forwards and blasted the door open with the force of her bending.

Freya jumped in, skidding along the now wet floor and under the fire blasts that Zuko dispersed as he jumped in front of Katara. Freya skidded to a stop and she knocked the man's feet out from under him before getting to her own. He shot his hand at her but she grabbed his wrist and avoided the fire before shoving her hand into his chest and sending him backwards into the steering wheel.

"Who are you?" the man demanded

"You don't remember her?" Zuko asked nodding his head to Katara as she stood behind him "You will soon. Trust me."

The man moved his arm to shoot a fire blast before his wrist turned the wrong way and his entire body stopped. He began to wave and throw himself around and Freya ducked before stepping backwards out of his way.

"What? What's happening to me?" he demanded.

Freya turned around to Katara as she held her hand before her face and the man was brought to his knees. Zuko did as well as Katara lowered her hand and the man lowered his face to the floor at the same time. Zuko looked surprised before he narrowed his eyes and turned back to the commander.

"Think back. Think back to your last raid on the Southern Water Tribe." Zuko said to him

"I don't know what you're talking about. Please, I don't know!" he pleaded.

Zuko kneeled at the man's head and pointed at Katara.

"Don't lie! You look her in the eye and you tell me you don't remember what you did." Katara moved in her stances and the man was brought upwards so that he could look at Katara who glared at him.

There was a moment as Katara stared at his face and the man stared back in fear before Katara lost her anger.

"It's not him." she released her hands and the man fell to the floor, the control on his body gone. "He's not the man." she said

"What?! What do you mean he's not? He's a leader of The Southern Raiders! He has to be the guy!" Zuko thought as the captain began to push himself upwards.

"No, he doesn't." Freya said "People retire, get promoted and demoted all the time. This guy may not have been the leader back then. Perhaps we're looking for his predecessor instead." she offered. Katara looked down and turned around to leave the ship as the captain was on his hands and knees. Zuko grabbed him by the arm and pushed him across the room before smashing his face into the window.

"If you're not the man we're looking for, who is?" Zuko demanded

"You must be looking for Yon Rha. He retired 4 years ago." the man said

"And where can we find him?" Freya asked.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44:

The clouds sat dark, covering the sky and threatening to rain over a valley. Water ran through the river at the base of a cliff and a house sat on it's other side along with a road. A man stood in the fields, a rake in his hand as he dug up the earth. It was an old man, his hair grey and falling over his wrinkly face. He wore Fire Nation red and had a sour look on his face.

In the house behind him a women appeared, her hair was white and her face was just as wrinkled, her mouth seemed toothless and cracked as she too wore Fire Nation red.

"Yon Rha, you lazy piece of work, I need something." she snapped at him, making him stop and look up.

"Yes Mother, what is it?" he asked tiredly

"The tomato-carrot from your garden are too hard for my gums. I need something soft and juicy." she demanded

"Would you like something else from the garden?" he asked turning to her "I would be happy to—"

"Forget your stupid garden!" she shouted through her rather empty mouth, only a few teeth left and she had a very large mole above her left eyebrow. "Get your grimy hind to the market and buy me some real food!" she ordered before disappearing inside.

Yon Rha got up and left the house. He walked through the thundery weather and to the market, which was empty as the temperature dropped, the wind picked up and the sky darkened some more. He grabbed a few fruits from the market and turned to the owner as a ringing sounded from a wind chime. He turned around and someone ducked down behind a window to prevent from being seen.

"Hello?" he called. There was no answer and he turned back to the shop owner. "Did you see someone?" he shook his head.

Yon Rha moved through the village after buying his materials and down the steps towards his secluded home. He glanced to his sides a few times before coming to a stop and turning around.

"Hello?" again they ducked behind the ledge as they were above him, ducking out of sight. "Is someone there?"

No one answered and Yon Rha turned to continue walking. Katara, Zuko and Freya poked their heads back over, looking after the man.

"That was him." Katara declared "That was the monster."

Rain began to fall and the sky darkened as it came down in sheets. Yon Rha walked along the path towards his house, stopping and turning around as he felt he was being followed. He didn't call out this time but continued to walk, his basket of fruits in his hand.

"Nobody sneaks up on me without being burned." he turned around, dropped his basket of fruits and fire went flaming through the rain from his fist. It hit a bush and caught fire, there was no shout and no one moved from the bush he thought one had been hiding behind.

He stood for a moment in the rain before leaning down to pick up his basket and then his fruits. He glanced back at the bush, which was being put out by the rain, before turning to continue walking. A line was strung across the pathway and Yon Rha's foot got caught before he fell forward with a grunt and slammed into the muddy path face first. He went to sit up before fire flared at his face and he jumped before scuttling backwards. Zuko stood before him in his bending stance, his face covered by the bandana.

"We weren't behind the bush." Zuko said simply before stepping forward and causing the man to scuttle backwards from him. "And I wouldn't try firebending again." Freya stepped up behind the man and he jumped as she crossed her arms, standing beside the tree that was behind him.

"Not unless you want to get hurt of course." she said with a disappointed look on her face.

"Whoever you are, take my money. Take whatever you want, I'll cooperate." Yon Rha begged as Katara walked through the rain. She pulled her bandanna down to expose her face and stood beside Zuko.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked

"No, I'm not sure." Yon Rha said looking at her.

"Oh you better remember me like your life depends on it!" Katara shouted at him and Freya glanced at the girl. "Why don't you take a closer look."

Katara stared at the man and he stared back as he rose his arm over his head, blocking the rain from his eyes.

"Yes, yes. I remember you now. You're the little Water Tribe girl." the man confessed as lightning flashed behind Katara.

"You raided the Southern Water tribe a few years back and you killed someone." Freya said "Why!?"

"It was on the last raid… I came looking for the last water bender, we found out there was one left in the Southern Water Tribe. Being the wife of the chief, she would have known. She told me she was the last water bender and offered herself as a prisoner but…" he stopped and Freya looked at Katara. She had her eyes closed and she'd turned away from the man who looked up at Katara worried.

"She lied to you." Katara said sadly "She was protecting the last waterbender."

"What? Who?" Yon Rha asked surprised

"ME!" Katara shouted furiously before she rose her hands out to her side and the rain droplets stopped, suspended in mid air. They began to collect and gather before a dome of water surrounded the four and blocked out the rain. Zuko looked up at it and removed his mask as Freya moved around Yon Rha to stand with the other two.

Katara stared at the man before she swung her arms around and the water dome swirled, gathered together and then went shooting at the retired guard. They froze into spears, the water intent on skewering the man and Freya stepped forwards slightly worried, before it all stopped.

Yon Rha had covered his face and he looked up as several of the spears landed, imbedded in the water around him, the rest hovering above his face, the points directed at his face. Freya released a breath and turned back to Katara.

Katara closed her eyes and then stood up, dropping her arms. Freya wove her's and the ice turned back to water, splashing down all over Yon Rha. The man got to his hands and knees, kneeling before them as he shook his head and bowed before them.

"I did a bad thing. I know I did and you deserve revenge. So why don't you take my Mother? That would be fair." he offered and Freya stared at him as though he was ludicrous.

"I always wonder what kind of person could do such a thing. But now that I see you, I think I understand." she walked towards him. "There's just nothing inside you. Nothing at all. You're pathetic and sad and empty."

"Please spare me." he begged, bowing his head.

"But as much as I hate you… I just can't do it." she confessed, dropping her gaze. Freya walked up and took Katara's hand as Zuko looked at the man before them. He glanced at Katara, who looked at Freya before she turned and walked away.

Freya looked at the man before her with scrutiny. "How did a coward like you ever become the leader of a navy vessel?" she said before she turned after Katara and Zuko followed as well, leaving Yon Rha kneeling in the rain with his fruits scattered over the floor as he sobbed.

Katara didn't join Freya and Zuko, she walked for a while, not saying anything but moved across the island until she found seclusion. Freya and Zuko collected Appa and watched her for a while, but she didn't move.

"Come on, we have to get the others. We've been gone long enough." Freya whispered to Zuko.

"What about Katara?" he asked.

"She's not going anywhere, do you think she'll be found?" Freya asked.

Zuko responded by turning to the house that was on the hill behind them. It was a large exquisite house, red and gold roofing, the gold shining in the sun with white walls. A path led down to the water from it as it over looked the ocean.

Zuko turned his gaze away.

"I doubt it." he muttered before climbing onto the bison. Freya frowned confused and glanced at the house before she climbed up too. She took the reins and with a flick Appa leapt into the air.

They flew over the ocean until they reached the camp site and everyone moved to greet them. The two jumped down and Aang looked confused.

"Where's Katara?" he asked

"She, needed a moment." Freya admitted

"What happened?" Sokka asked

"We found Yon Rha, he's now retired and was the leader of the Southern Raiders. He's the man who killed your mum." Freya said. Sokka lowered his gaze and Suki took his hand in comfort.

"He was looking for the last water bender." Zuko admitted as Sokka looked up surprised.

"How did he know there was one?" Toph asked

"Some intel he got." Zuko said

"Your mum Sokka, lied and told them she was the last water bender to protect Katara, she thought they'd take her prisoner." Freya said

"Turns out he had different plans." Zuko muttered and they all lowered their gazes sadly for a moment.

"So…" Aang asked, breaking the silence.

"Katara got angry, obviously, and she threw a heap of spears at him." Freya said and everyone looked surprised

"And then she stopped them, before they could harm him." Zuko admitted

"She didn't kill him, or even hurt him." Freya said "She couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead, she left him there, sobbing like a coward."

"And Katara?" Sokka asked

"She hasn't spoke since." Freya confessed.

"Where is she?" Toph wondered

"Ember Island, actually, she's at a good spot if we want to move camp." Zuko said

"It seems Zuko has a house on Ember Island." Freya said

"I never said it was my house." Zuko said

"No but the way you looked at the place said it was." Freya said.

"Come on," Aang said "Let's pack up, we need to check on her."

They packed up the camp before climbing onto Appa and Zuko steered the bison across the ocean. The sun was setting by the time they reached the island, rather large and a popular holiday spot for the Fire Nation occupants.

A peer sat from the shore over looking it, rather beaten up and uncared for, and Katara, in her water tribe clothes, sat at the end of it, trialing the tips of her shoes across the water. Appa landed behind her and Aang jumped down, running up the peer toward her.

"Katara! Are you okay?" he asked as Zuko followed.

"I'm doing fine." she responded.

"Freya and Zuko told me what you did." he paused and rubbed his head. "Or… what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you." he smiled

"I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him but, I couldn't." she closed her eyes sadly, unsurely. "I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or if it's because I'm strong enough not to."

"It's compassion Katara, regardless of how you feel, and that's definitely a good thing." Freya said as she walked up behind Zuko.

"You did the right thing." Aang agreed "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing." Katara stood up and walked toward Aang, looking angry still.

"But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him." her face then softened and she turned to Zuko. "But I am ready to forgive you." she said to him

"Uh, Finally." Freya muttered, earning a chuckle from Katara. The younger water bender hugged Zuko and he accepted it before she looked at him and walked past back to the Bison, where Sokka was standing waiting for her.

"You were right about what Katara needed. Violence wasn't the answer." Zuko said as he watched Katara and Aang smiled.

"It never is." Aang believed

"Then I have a question for you." Zuko turned to Aang as Freya turned to him "What are you going to do when you face my Father?" Aang looked at him before he realised the depth of the question and his expression looked unsure as he looked down. Freya and Zuko shared a look, unsurely before they turned back to Aang.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45:

Fire feared across the courtyard and towards the empty fountain in it's centre. One side of it was blocked by the mountain behind the house while the rest was surrounded by the house and garden. Freya, Zuko and Aang stood in a line as they moved in sync through their stances and fire flared from their hands and feet, Freya's being the only different one of hot white while the rest was usual orange.

They swung their arms down for fire to follow, kicked their hand and foot forward for two streams to streak across the stone. They lunged backwards and their hands went forwards for another streak of fire before they turned around and came to a stop. They lowered their hands and took a breath before Zuko and Aang bowed to one another, both were shirtless as Freya had her hair tied up. Katara and Toph were sitting off to the side, Toph lying down as Katara had watched the three.

"Doesn't it seem kinda weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house?" Katara asked as Zuko stretched his hands upward and walked to the empty fountain.

"I told you, my Father hasn't come here since our family was actually happy." Zuko said as he ran a towel over his hair and Aang knocked on his shoulder to release the muscles there. Freya was reaching down to her toes before she toppled over and sighed contently, lying on the ground. "And that was a long time ago. This is the last place anyone would think to look for us."

"I dunno, I think Azula would think to look here. I mean she knows no one comes here too and you're with us." Freya said thinking as she looked at the blue sky over head.

"You guys are not going to believe this." Sokka and Suki ran into the courtyard. Suki had been given new clothes, allowing her to get out of the prison ones she'd been wearing as they were all in their Fire Nation outfits. "There's a play about us." Sokka said as he had a scroll in his hand.

"What?" Freya questioned, looking up and propping herself on her elbows.

"We were just in town and we found this poster." Suki said as Sokka unravelled it and showed them all. It had Freya, Aang, Katara and Sokka on the cover, or somewhat pictures of them. The top of the poster in the background had what was clearly Zuko's face, though the scar was on the wrong side. Writing was in the bottom right corner and a face was in the bottom left.

"What? How is that possible?" Katara asked as she, Toph and Aang all stepped forwards to see.

"Listen to this." Sokka said turning to read the poster. " "The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu On Tim who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources including singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."."

"Yeah well that cabbage merchant was everywhere." Freya mumbled to Zuko who rose an eyebrow.

""Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players."." Suki finished

"Ugh." They all turned to Zuko as he groaned in annoyance. "My Mother used to take us to see them. They butchered "Love Amongst The Dragons" every year." he complained, slumped in his seat.

"Sokka, do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play about ourselves?" Katara asked.

"Come on, a day at the theatre? This is the kind of wacky time wasting nonsense I've been missing." Sokka said grinning widely in excitement and Katara looked annoyed.

"No." Freya said "That sounds like a terrible idea."

"Why?" Sokka asked

"A play, about us, written and directed by the Fire Nation, who are our enemies." Freya said obviously

"They did research."

"And it wont all be correct, some parts might be a bit spot on but I don't know if you realised but there were moments when there was no one to survey us, like at the Southern Air Temple for example." she said "It's gonna be awful I can just tell." she said

"Can't do that much harm Freya." Aang said

"Well…" she said "Come on do you guys really want to sit through a relive of the last year?" she asked but none of them responded. "Zuko come on, you can't want to see everything you did in the last year." He glanced to the side. "See he agrees."

"He didn't say anything." Sokka complained

"He didn't have to." Freya mumbled

"Is there something you don't want us to see Freya?" Toph asked smirking. Freya blinked at her

"Like what?" she asked

"I dunno, that's just how it seems."

"I just don't think this can be a good play." she said.

"We wont know if we don't go and find out!" Sokka grinned.

Freya frowned. "I'm not gonna win here am I." she mumbled.

The play wasn't scheduled until the sun went down but the seven of them moved for the theatre which sat just outside of the town. It was a large building with light all around from lights and the windows. It sat up a set of steps and looking over the water on one side. There was a large amount of people walking up the steps to go and fill the seats.

The seven kids moved through the theatre and onto one of the balconies over looking the lower seats. The one they occupied held two benches of seats and was directly opposite the stage, which currently had a red curtain hanging over it.

Toph lead the way to the front bench and Katara followed with Aang behind. With no hair left to hide most of tattoo the avatar had a hat on his head to hide the arrow instead. He sauntered after Katara while Zuko, who had a hood over his head, walked around the other side as Katara took a seat. Freya was following him as Sokka and Suki brought up the rear and sat behind Katara and Toph on the second bench.

Zuko sat himself down beside Katara as Aang went to sit and instead of being allowed to shuffle closer to Katara, Zuko got in his way and caused him to move in the opposite direction. Aang stood up, turning to Zuko as he brushed his neck and Freya rose an eyebrow as he was now in her way.

"Hey, uh... I wanted to sit there." he said pointing as Katara turned to them.

"Just sit next to me, what's the big deal?" Zuko said as he removed his hood from his head.

"I was just… I wanted to…" Aang began unsurely.

"Too late I'm sitting here." Freya said as she slid between Zuko's knees and Aang and onto the bench beside Zuko. He reactively placed an arm around her waist as Aang shot her a look. "You took too long." she said smiling at Aang as he looked annoyed. He moved to sit behind her with Sokka and Suki instead.

"He wanted to sit beside Katara." Freya whispered to Zuko

"Why?" he asked quietly. She gave him a look and rolled her eyes.

"I thought the answer would be obvious." she mumbled

"Why are we sitting in the nose bleed section?" Toph complained "My feet can't see a thing from up here." the lights darkened and noise began to dampen as Toph crossed her arms.

"Don't worry, I'll tell your feet what's happening." Katara smiled from beside her.

The curtain rose up to show a watery scene, an ocean covered the stage and moved from side to side and icebergs sat in the background. A boat sat in the centre stage with three people in it wearing blue. By the hair styles of Katara's braid, Sokka's topknot it seemed clear who they were. The actors portrayed Freya, Katara and Sokka, just like how they'd been, in a boat, the day they'd found Aang. The three of them were rowing with ores in their hands. Katara smiled and Sokka reached around Zuko to both girls, placing hands on their shoulders. Katara, Zuko and Freya turned to the boy as he looked excited as well and pointed between them. Freya chuckled and rolled her eyes before they turned back to the stage.

The actor of Katara sighed heavily, the blush on her cheeks was over the top and she wasn't as thin as Katara was. The Sokka actor was much more bony and older and the Freya actor had shorter hair, brown eyes and was more tanned than she was.

 _Can't get it perfect._ Freya thought.

"Sokka, my only brother. We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas and yet never do we find anything fulfilling." the Katara said dramatically as the Sokka continued to row.

"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach, I'm starving!" he said holding out his hands and looking out to the audience, clearly waiting for applause.

"That's no surprise." the actress Freya said rolling her eyes sarcastically.

The people in the audience, actually laughed. Freya rose an eyebrow and Zuko glanced at her and She noticed the gaze.

"Sarcasm…" she muttered "Yeah I'd say that accurate." she said to him while Sokka and Katara shared an unsure look about their two.

"Is food the only thing on your mind?" Actress Katara asked

"Well, I'm trying to get it out of my mind and into my mouth. I'm starving." The Sokka repeated.

"This is pathetic." Sokka whisper shouted to Katara, leaning over the seat. "My jokes are way funnier than this."

Toph however laughed. "I think he's got you pegged."

The Actress Katara stood up in the boat and wove her hand dramatically to the sky of the set. "Everyday, the World awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears. Still, we cannot give up hope. For hope is all we have," she began sobbing and collapsed to lean over the side of the boat "and we must never relinquish it. Even… even to our dying breath." and she started crying into her hands.

"Don't cry Katara." the Actress Freya said patting Katara's back as she sobbed.

"Well, that's just silly." Katara said as Sokka and Suki laughed behind her. "I don't sound like that."

"I'll admit you're not that dramatic." Freya mumbled

"Oh man, this writer's a genius." Toph thought as she laughed some more.

A glow appeared on the stage and the three actors turned to it. An iceberg was rolled onto the stage with a person figure ticking from side to side on the top.

"It appears to be someone frozen in ice. Perhaps for a hundred years." Actress Katara claimed.

"But who? Who is the boy in the iceberg?" Actor Sokka asked and Aang leaned forwards in anticipation in his seat.

"Let's waterbend it Katara." Actress Freya said as they climbed the iceberg.

"Waterbend, hai-ya!" the actresses karate chopped at the iceberg and the paper split. Smoke came from the broken iceberg before someone jumped out. They wore the outfit Aang used to have before Ba Sing Se, a cap over their head clearly covering the hair and a very feminine face. She stood and winked at everyone, earning an applause. Aang stared at her shocked.

"Who are you, frozen boy?" Actress Katara asked

"I'm the Avatar, silly. Here to spread joy and fun." the Actress Aang said, she giggled before hand and waved her arms around dramatically.

"Wait, is that a woman playing me?" Aang questioned

"Wow! Freya! My old friend!" the actress Aang said

"Aang, it's so good to see you again!" Actress Freya said as they spun around on the iceberg.

"Wrong! I didn't remember Aang." Freya said "Told you it'd be incorrect. Our entire travel to the Northern Water Tribe was basically memory lane for me." Katara and Aang chuckled and she shot them both a look.

From behind the iceberg on stage jumped out an Appa costume, clearly being moved by several people. It growled at the four before jumping down into the water and running around.

"And you brought your bison Appa!" Actress Freya grinned.

The Actress Katara gasped dramatically. "An airbender." she said turning to Actress Aang. "My heart is so full of hope that it's making me tearbend." the actress fell to her knees and started crying dramatically as she grabbed one of the actor's legs, sobbing.

"My stomach is so empty that it's making me tearbend." The Actor Sokka fell to his knees and grabbed the Actress Aang's other leg. "I need meat." he cried

Actress Aang crouched down and placed and arm around his neck.

"But wait. Is that a platter of meaty dumplings?" she said pointing.

"Ooo. Where? Where?" Actress Aang laughed as Actor Sokka looked around.

"Did I mention that I'm an incurable prankster?" she said crossing legs.

The audience laughed and they all turned to Aang as he leaned on the railing of the balcony.

"I don't do that. That's not what I'm like! And... I'm not a woman!" he snapped

Toph laughed and everyone turned to her. "Oh, they nailed you, Twinkle Toes." Aang slumped.

The Iceberg and boat were moved from the stage before another boat was pushed on. This time it was Zuko's turn. He stood on the bow of the ship with a telescope and an Actor of Iroh sat behind him.

"Prince Zuko, you must try this cake." Iroh said holding up an entire cake bar one slice.

"I don't have time to stuff my face. I must capture the Avatar to regain my honour!" The actor had a mask over half his face for Zuko's scar, a very good replica, but he wore it on the wrong side of the face.

"They get your scar on the wrong side, how could they muck that up when you're their prince?" Freya questioned and Zuko glanced at her.

"Well, while you do that, maybe I'll capture another slice." Actor Iroh grinned before shoving the cake to his face.

"You sicken me." Actor Zuko responded.

Katara sat with her arms crossed and giving Zuko a sly look.

"They make me totally stiff and humourless." Zuko complained, his arms crossed.

"You were totally stiff and humourless." Freya said thinking "Now that I recall, getting fun out of you took me weeks, along with getting an actually conversation from you that didn't involve threats." Zuko was glared at her and she looked at him before smiling guiltily. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry dear, but take it from the girl who was captured on your ship back then."

He turned his nose away from her annoyed.

"Gonna say, I think that actor's pretty spot on." Katara agreed

"How could you say that?" Zuko questioned of her.

"Let's forget about the Avatar and get massages." Actor Iroh said as he walked up behind Actor Zuko, looking through the telescope again.

"How could you say that?!" Zuko demanded, shouting at his uncle.

Katara rose an eyebrow to Zuko who slumped as the Actor basically imitated him.

"Annoyed at how they portrayed Iroh though, he actually says useful things too." Freya mumbled and Zuko nodded beside her.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46:

The scene of the play on stage changed from the Souther Water Tribe to the Souther Air Temple. The female actress of Aang stood on stage and a tail poked out from behind a bush for her to notice.

"Hey look, I think I found something." Actress Aang tiptoed over to the bush as the tail disappeared behind it. The water tribe actors followed as she reached behind the bush. The Water Tribe members shrugged to one another before Actress Aang stood up and had a puppet on her shoulder of Momo. "It's a flying rabbit monkey,"

"Lemur." Freya and Aang said together.

"I think I'll name him, Momo." she giggled

"Hi, everybody. I love you." she moved the mouth go the Lemur as she spoke.

Aang groaned and rubbed his temple as he was slumped in his seat.

"This is disappointing, what about when we ran after the lemur and when Aang lost his temper and Avatar Roku sent Aang into a trance and I had a flash back." Freya said "They're missing the interesting things."

"You said no one was there to see?" Zuko said

"There wasn't, that's why this play shouldn't have been made." she grumbled.

They travelled to Kiyoshi Island next and the backdropped was changed to show this. Suki was portrayed by an actor on the stage in her Kiyoshi warrior uniform and makeup before Actor Sokka moved on stage dressed up as a girl as well.

"Does this dress make my butt look fat?" he asked and everyone laughed, including Suki. She covered her mouth as Sokka turned to her frowning and he blushed.

Omashu was next and they had an actor to mimic Bumi, dressing him up rather accurately. He stood on top of a tower as Aang ducked under a swinging boulder and Katara was surrounded by Rock candy.

"Riddles and challenges must you face, if you are ever to leave this place." Sokka ran past as a bunny chased after him to imitate Flopsy while Freya was tied to the base of the King's pedestal. The Actress Katara gasped and sighed dramatically, her hand to her forehead as one of the candy gems rose up to cover her face.

Katara poked her tongue out and rolled her eyes.

The Pirate scene came next in which Freya was missing from having been on Zuko's ship instead. The three were surrounded by Pirates, a Pirate ship painted on the backdrop as Katara had a water bending scroll in her hands and Sokka his boomerang.

Sokka and Aang crouched to the floor as the pirates surrounded them and the swords clinked above them. The three of them crawled out from under one of the pirates and moved across the stage. The pirates moved to the right and the three tiptoed to the left.

"Why did you have to steal that waterbending scroll?" Actor Sokka questioned

"It just gave me so much hope!" Actress Katara cried.

Katara stared at the stage annoyed, her cheek slumped into her hand.

"Weren't you supposed to be in that scene?" Freya asked Zuko.

"Uh… No." he said

"I'm pretty sure I remember you loosing Aang, Katara and Sokka because you started fighting the pirates." she said slyly and he looked at her annoyed.

The scene changed to the inside of a Fire Nation prison. Lights flashed as six guards stood either side of a pedestal which Actress Aang was chained too. Actor Zuko stood at the front.

"The Avatar is mine! Wait, who's coming?" he turned to point to the side and the spot light moved before a person jumped out wearing black and a giant blue mask that covered the entire body but the legs. In either hand were the duo swords Zuko used.

Freya started snickering, her hand over her mouth.

"I am the Blue Spirit. The scourge of the Fire Nation here to save the Avatar." The Blue Spirit declared. The mask moved across the stage and the guards all fell over as the swords were waved around and Actor Zuko ran around the pedestal. A ribbon of red was shot at the blue spirit to imitate fire bending and the blue spirit jumped to avoid before Actor Zuko ran away.

"My hero." Actress Aang gushed before she jumped to sit on the top of the blue spirit mask before they walked off stage.

Zuko and Aang shared a queasy look as Freya was laughing from beside the prince.

"It's so awkward it's funny." she whispered as Zuko gave her a look, she coughed to stop her laugh and shrugged. "Sorry."

Jet's forest was the next background. Actress Katara was crying again as she lowered down on a rope with Actor Jet, who had wild hair, too short a top and a flower in his mouth. Katara cried over excessively

"Don't cry, baby." Jet gripped Katara towards him, their foreheads together. "Jet will wipe out that nasty town for you." He lifted her chin and she lifted her leg before a sheet of blue ran under them and across the stage.

"Oh Jet, you're so bad." Actress Katara said as they were pulled back into the air.

Toph started snickering as Katara blushed, lowering her head embarrassed.

"Wow Katara, I never picked you to be so bold." Freya smirked

"Uh, look it didn't happen that way." she said

"No that's pretty much how I remember it." Sokka said and Freya snickered along with Toph.

A cardboard of Appa hung from the sky with Aang, Katara and Sokka on top as the ground of the stage was decorated as a canyon.

"Look, it's The Great Divide. The biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom." Actress Aang advertised.

"Meh. Let's keep flying." Actor Sokka shrugged as Katara looked at it over the edge of the saddle.

"Didn't you guys stop in the canyon?" Freya asked them and they nodded

"Was not a fun part of our trip." Sokka said

"Katara and you argued the whole way." Aang reminded them.

"Oh yeah." Sokka mumbled.

"Freya when did you get back?" Suki asked her

"Pretty sure it wasn't long after the canyon." she thought looking at Sokka who shrugged. "Surprised your old crew wasn't interviewed." she said to Zuko. "Those scenes between us could've been made juicy." he rose an eyebrow at her and she shrugged.

The siege on the Northern Water Tribe included Yue with Sokka when she turned into the moon spirit. The two stood behind a wall with the Water Tribe Symbol on it.

"Don't go, Yue. You're the only woman whose ever taken my mind off of food." Sokka said pointing to the audience. The two shared a kiss before they broke and Sokka licked his lips. "Wait, did you have pickled fish for dinner?" he asked

"Goodbye, Sokka. I have important Moon duties to take care of." Yue was lifted upwards as she sat on a crescent moon cutout and she released Sokka's hands. "And yes, I did have pickled fish."

Suki was chuckling as Sokka stared at the stage with watery eyes, emotional from the scent.

"You never told me you made out with the Moon Spirit." Suki smirked.

"Shh." Sokka put a finger to her lips, not even turning to her. "I'm trying to watch."

Suki crossed her arms annoyed by his response.

"Technically she was a princess first." Freya said.

Cardboard ships were pulled along the stage before being smashed and knocked over. A doll of Zhao was held in a striped blue costume worn by the Actress Aang to depict him and the Ocean Spirit destroying the Fire Nation Fleet.

"The Avatar is back to save the day! Yay!" She jumped around stepping on the boat and ships with enthusiasm and giggling.

"You were definitely more terrifying than that." Freya said

"How would you know? You were fighting Zhao." Zuko said

"I'm observant enough." she said annoyed.

The Actress jumped around so much she ended up tripping over before the curtain went down.

Aang groaned as Toph laughed and clapped her hands, joining the rest fo the audience who was cheering, clapping and whistling throughout the theatre. Zuko pulled his hood over his head and Sokka dropped his face into his hand.

The drop of the curtain meant an intermission and most people flooded out of the theatre and into the halls, getting souvenirs, drinks, food and making bathroom stops. The group filtered outside and onto a set of stairs that lead to a balcony, getting some fresh air. Sokka was last to join them as he went to get food.

"So far, this intermission is the best part of the play." Zuko complained as Sokka sat beside Suki.

"Apparently, the playwright thinks I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time." He took a strip of meat out of the bag he'd gotten as Suki smiled.

"Yeah, you tell bad jokes about plenty of other topics." she said as he chewed on his jerky sticks.

"I know!" he said swallowing before taking another bite angrily.

"At least this Sokka actor kinda looks like you," Aang was sitting at the bottom of the steps with Toph standing before him, leaning on the railing. "That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all."

"Beside the curiosity bit and always having fun where you go." Freya said and Katara chuckled.

"I don't know, you are more in touch with your feminine side than most guys." Toph said. Aang groaned at her and got to his feet.

"Relax, Aang." Katara said, gaining their attentions. She was sitting at the top of the stairs. "They're not accurate portrayals. It's not like I'm a preachy crybaby who can't resist giving overemotional speeches about hope all the time." she said. Everyone stared at her and she looked at them confused. "What?"

"Yeah." Aang said sceptically as he sat back down. "That's not you at all." he muttered

"Well, at least our Katara doesn't wail like the one on stage. That I've noticed at least." Freya shrugged.

"You can't complain, your actor seems fine." Zuko said to her

"Despite the fact that they can't seem to make up their mind whether to make me Sarcastic or Caring." she said thinking

"Which do you think you are?" Aang asked

"I think Sokka gets to have the sarcastic label." Freya said "But that doesn't mean it might not be accurate." she shrugged.

"Freya's right." Toph shrugged "Listen, friends. It's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth." Toph said.

"So far." Freya added.

The play began again and now the scene was set in the Earth Kingdom. Freya, Katara, Aang and Sokka's actors stood on stage with the green roofed houses as the backdrop. The only thing on the stage with them was a rock prop.

"Well, here we are in the Earth Kingdom."

"I better have a look around to see if I can find an earthbending teacher." Actress Aang held up a mini glider and was lifted off her feet.

"This is it! This must be where I come in." Toph said excitedly. Zuko rose a piece of paper to his face uncaringly while Sokka slumped board and Katara glanced at Toph worriedly.

Actress Aang moved out and over the crowd, the lemur attached to her shoulder before being lowered back to the stage.

"I flew all over town but I couldn't find a single earthbending master." Actress Aang said and her counterparts looked worried.

"Here it comes." Toph grinned as the music picked up.

"You can't find an earthbending master in the sky, you have to look underground." The rock was lifted up as the Actor for Toph appeared from below the stage. It wore Toph's usual outfit and had her hair style but this was clearly a very tall a bluffly built man. He threw the rock away as Toph was standing before her seat, her ear turned to the stage and everyone looked down at it surprised. Zuko dropped his paper as his mouth fell open as Aang, Katara, Sokka and Suki all started laughing and Freya looked surprised.

"Who are you?" Actress Aang pointed at Actor Toph.

He spat before speaking. "My name is Toph because it sounds like tough." he flexed his muscles. "And that's just what I am."

"Wait a minute," Toph put her pinkie finger into her ear as if to clean it and hear better as the audience laughed. "I sound like… a guy." she sounded surprised "A really buff guy." and she grinned.

Katara smirked as she turned to the girl. "Well Toph, what you hear up there is the truth. It hurts, doesn't it?"

Toph however was grinning from ear to ear. "Are you kidding me?" she asked, causing Katara to look annoyed "I wouldn't have cast it any other way. At least it's not a flying bald lady." Aang looked irritated as Zuko watched him.

"Honestly when you think about it, it'd be more surprising if they did portray Toph as a small girl." Freya said thinking. "She doesn't exactly act like it when she's bashing her head into rocks."

"So, you're blind?" Actress Aang waved a hand in from of the buff man's face, which was mostly covered by the hair from the wig. The actor laughed and pointed at the actress.

"I can see you doing that. I see everything that you see except that I don't _see_ like you do. I release a sonic wave from my mouth." he turned to the others reeled backwards and yelled at the four They looked at him surprised and many in the audience covered their ears or jumped surprised. Toph was the only one grinning at this action as the others were all leaning away from the noise like most of the audience. Sokka and Suki were clinging onto one another in surprise and Aang had his hands on his ears.

"There. I got a pretty good look at you." he said when he'd stopped. The leading four clapped somewhat impressed as they audience did the same.

The scene moved to Zuko and Iroh, the actor Zuko's hair was now down, lush and to his shoulders, curled at the ends. A spot light shone up at them, making their shadows much larger than them. They were still wearing the Fire Nation outfits instead of the earth kingdom one's they'd hidden in.

"Zuko, it's time we had a talk." Iroh said before pointing at Zuko. "About your hair. It's gone too far."

"Maybe it's best if we…" Actor Zuko turned his head, flinging his long hair. "split up."

They turned and walked away from one another.

"Why did you split up?" Freya asked

"Honestly, I didn't like how comfortable he was being a refugee." he said "I didn't think I needed him."

Freya pulled a face. "And even when you realised you did need him to finish your fire bending training you still left him in Ba Sing Se?" Freya said Zuko glanced at her. "Sometimes I don't realise how thick you were." she admitted.

"Thanks."

"At least you learned." she smiled.

Azula now entered the play as it reached the scene were she was cornered by the group, Iroh and Zuko, they stood facing her as she stood on a pedestal in prime position. Freya had a feeling that if Azula saw her actor, she wouldn't be too impressed, she wore pink with blue make up on her eyes and the puff of her pants made her thighs look huge.

"I feel like they're mocking their princess." Freya mumbled "God Azula would hate that." Zuko smirked

"Maybe that's why." Freya nodded, admitting it was an option.

"Azula! My sister. What are you doing here?" Actor Zuko demanded as Actress Azula had her hands up.

"You caught me. Wait. What's that?" she pointed to the ceiling "I think it's your honour."

All the actors on stage turned to where she pointed and Azula opened a door and left, escaping. "Where?" Actor Zuko asked. They all turned back to see her gone.

"She escaped. But how?" Actress Katara questioned.

The drill scene followed as they had a drill against a wall, the Actress Aang was standing on top of it, wobbling as the wall moved beneath her.

"If she continues drilling, this wall will come down for sure." She exclaimed. People passed rocks to the avatar from behind the wall which were thrown down at the drill.

Actor Azula was standing on the drill and she knocked the rock away as it was thrown at her.

"Haha, yes! Continue drilling." She said pointing "The city of Ba Sing Se can't hide no longer." Aang continued with the rocks and a few people in the audience began to yawn.

Jet wobbled across the scene in the underground cells of Lake Laogai. He had a hook in both hands and he spun and stumbled to indicate madness.

"No, Jet! What did they do to you?" Actress Aang gasped as Actress Katara looked worried and Actor Sokka stood on the opposite side to the two.

"Must. Serve. Earth King!" Jet stepped and swung a hook at Actress Aang, making her duck before turning to Sokka who ducked as well. "Must... Destroy!" Jet slid across the stage before a rock was dropped from the top of the stage. As it fell Jet threw his hooked arms around and groaned, yelled and goggled across the stage, moving to be underneath it. The Rock floated, clearly moving off course and Jet slumped sideways to be underneath it with a groan before crawling to hide completely.

"Did Jet just... die?" Zuko asked confused. He looked at Freya.

"Don't look at me, I was with you." she said shrugging unsurely.

"You know, it was really unclear." Sokka admitted.

Katara and Zuko stood in the catacombs and Katara's actress walked forwards.

"I have to admit, Prince Zuko. I really find you attractive." she said and Freya snorted and covered her mouth.

"You don't have to make fun of me." Zuko responded as he was sitting on a rock and Katara flinched slightly before she sat beside him.

"But I mean it. I had eyes for you since the day you first captured me." Katara and Zuko shared a glance before they slid further apart and Freya was snickering from Zuko's other side.

"You find this funny?" he complained

"Only cause I actually know you two." she said grinning.

Aang looked annoyed at the stage.

"Wait." Actor Zuko got to his feet. "I thought you were the Avatar's girl." Aang nodded.

"The Avatar?" Actress Katara chuckled as she stood up and walked after him. "Why, he's like a little brother to me." she laughs again "I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way. Besides, how could he ever find out about this." They hugged one another and Freya mock gasped.

"Scandal! That happened?" she asked them both and they looked at her irritatedly.

"Freya!" they snapped

"What? I was only teasing. I'm annoyed they didn't put me in that scene. I was there after all. Besides water bender falling for her captor the Fire Prince is much more interesting of a scandal." she shrugged and Zuko chuckled.

Aang however hadn't found it fun and he force himself up annoyed and left his seat.

"Oh, you're getting up? Can you get me some fire flakes?" Sokka asked him as Aang walked away. He sat down and lay his arm over Suki who happily leaned into his side. He sat back up again, annoying her. "Oh and fire gummies." He smiled as he sat himself back down again but Suki shot him a look.

Zuko stood between Azula and Iroh, one beneath the Fire Nation insignia and one below the Earth Kingdom symbol. A spot light shone on Zuko.

"Well, my brother. What's it going to be? Your nation or a life of treachery?" Azula asked as Zuko turned from one to the other unsurely, being as dramatic as the other actors.

"Choose treachery, it's more fun." Iroh grinned as he drank from a bowl.

"Oh come on!" Freya complained and Zuko smiled at her and pat her back as she slumped against the railing disappointed.

"You care more of Iroh's character than your own?" Katara said

"Because if any character is wrong it's Iroh's. This is insulting." she accused

The Actor Zuko walked towards Iroh and the light followed him.

"No way!" Azula shouted.

Zuko stood beside his uncle, glancing at his sister before turning to the short man and shoving him. The tea went flying and Iroh grunted as he fell over before Zuko moved over to his sister.

"I hate you, Uncle." Zuko said pointing at the man as he sat up "You smell and I hate you for all time." The Earth Kingdom banner fell down over Iroh's actor as Azula and Zuko walked away.

Freya gapped as the stage in shock as Katara looked surprised, a hand over her mouth. Zuko was leaning on the railing looking melancholy as both girls turned to him.

"You didn't really say that, did you?" Katara asked

"I might as well have." Zuko muttered and the two girls shared a look.

The Actor of Mai had robes way too big and hair that covered her face. Daggers were stuck into her hair buns and she pulled one out for a stage hand wearing black to grab and take across the stage to pin an earth Kingdom soldier. Two of these stood on the stage as an actor wearing a bear costume with a puppet of the Earth King sat in the throne and an actor for Ty Lee was on stage too. She wore pink and a skirt of a ballerina. The countenance of this actor to the real thing held a large difference. She moved over to the other guard kissed her finger and tapped him. He sprang together like plank and tumbled over. Mai and Ty Lee stood in the centre of the stage and karate chopped their arms as they stood back to back.

The audience clapped before Actress Aang flipped over the throne, bear, king, girls and all.

"Avatar State, yip yip." The lights dimmed and the arrow on the actors head as well as her eyelids began to glow along with a few other things on stage before the actor was connected to a rope and lifted off the ground.

The two girls moved out of the way as the actress Azula jumped out of the stage floor.

"Not if my lightning can help it!" Actress Azula pulled a blue ribbon from her waist. The Avatar Actress peaked her eye open and grabbed the blue ribbon that went flying from Azula's hand to her and held it to her chest were she jilted as she was electrocuted. She cried out before she slumped and was lowered to the floor.

The three girls ran in front of the seemingly dead Avatar.

"The Avatar is no more!" Actress Azula declared.

Everyone cheered, some getting out of their seats as Katara, Suki, Freya and Sokka looked annoyed. Toph slumped her head into her hand and Zuko covered his face.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47:

"I told you this play was going to be terrible." Freya said. She and Zuko were sitting on the floor in the hallway while Toph and Suki stood on either side of them and Sokka leaned on the wall beside Suki.

"It seems like every time there's a big battle you guys barely make it out alive. I mean, you guys lose a lot." Suki said smiling at Sokka who looked at her annoyed.

"You're one to talk, Suki. Didn't Azula take you captive? That's right, she did." Sokka reminded her and Suki looked at him frowning.

"Are you trying to get on my bad side?" she said seriously

"I'm just saying." Sokka said matter-of-factly.

"Don't anger her Sokka, she can take you down in a heartbeat remember." Freya smirked "And anyway Suki, we don't always loose, Zuko lost more than we did." she said pointing at him beside her

"Thanks Freya." he said

"Hey, think of it as a good thing, imagine if you'd succeeded in the Southern Pole and caught Aang permanently, could you even imagine where we'd ben now?" she asked looking incredulously.

"Does anyone know where Aang is?" Katara asked as she walked out of the theatre and joined them.

"He left to get me fire gummies like, 10 minutes ago. And I'm still waiting." Sokka complained, crossing his arms.

"He left right after the scene were you declared your love for Zuko." Freya said smirking slyly as the two as they looked queasy about the reminder. "So Sokka you should stop thinking about your stomach and question how that made Aang feel." she said glancing at Katara with a pointed look. The girl frowned, blushing slightly.

"I'm going to check outside." she decided before walking off.

"What's wrong with Aang Freya?" Suki asked

"Well Aang likes Katara, so seeing the scene of Katara and Zuko alone in the catacombs probably upset him." Freya shrugged

"But that didn't happen!" Zuko snapped "You're the one I'd confess too."

"And yet you're yet to do so." she said giving him a plain look and making him look unsure and worried. She turned to Suki. "Aang wasn't in the catacombs, truth or not it probably caused a bit of uneasiness."

"How? If he knows it wasn't true, I mean, I saw how Katara acted to Zuko." Suki said pointing to him and Freya thought.

"Well, maybe it wasn't Katara liking someone else but more the fact that the actor said Aang was like a brother then. That would break any boys heart." Frey said

"Well he's taking forever to make his move so I'm not surprise people believe that." Sokka said shrugging

"Not really, they kissed on the submarines at the invasion so technically he already did."

"What?!" Sokka demanded looking shocked.

"That was more or less the reaction I was expecting." Freya admitted as Suki looked at him surprised by his outburst.

"Way to go Twinkle Toes." Toph said

"That's more or less what I said." Freya smirked

"Wheeee." a boy dressed as Aang, with bits of hair poking out from under his bald hat cap ran past laughing, his arms out as if he was flying. Freya grinned at him as he ran through the door and back into the theatre.

"Suki, what are the chances you can get me backstage? I got some jokes I want to give to the actor me." Suki said turning to her.

She faced him, a serious look on her face that was almost scary. "I'm an elite warrior who's trained for many years in the art of stealth." She grinned widely. "I think I can get you backstage." and they turned to leave the three as Freya chuckled at them.

"Jeez. Everyone's getting so upset about their characters. Even you seem more down than usual and that's saying something." Toph said to Zuko, crossing her arms.

"You don't get it. It's different for you. You get a muscly version of yourself taking down 10 bad guys at once and making sassy remarks." Zuko said and Toph smirked as he looked up at her past the hood over his head.

"Yeah, that's pretty great." she confessed

"But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life and shove them back in my face." he frowned looking down and Freya frowned too. "My Uncle. He's always been on my side even when things were bad. He was there for me. He taught me so much and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret and I may never get to redeem myself." Freya leaned her head on his shoulder and took one go his hands in both of her's.

"Don't be silly." she said "It's like you don't know Iroh at all."

"You have redeemed yourself to your Uncle." Toph said as she slid down the wall to sit beside Zuko. "You don't realise it but you already have."

"How do you know?" Zuko asked turning to her.

"Because I once had a long conversation with the guy and all he would talk about was you." she said. Zuko pushed his hood off his head and smiled at Toph.

"Really?" he asked looking at Freya who smiled at him.

"Yeah, and it was kind of annoying." Toph admitted, making Zuko frown.

"Oh, sorry."

"But it was also very sweet." Toph smiled at him, surprising the prince. "All your Uncle wanted was for you to find your own path and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud." She smiled before raising a fist and punching his arm. Zuko knocked into Freya who blinked surprised before she chuckled.

"Ow. What was that for?" he asked rubbing his arm.

"That's how I show affection." Toph admitted.

"I can second Toph, I can't even count how many conversations I had with Iroh that involved him telling me all sorts of things to convince me you were a good guy on your path to greatness." Freya said "Most of my boat time involved that as he was helping me understand the messed up place that's your mind." Zuko chuckled

"Sorry."

"You should be." she nodded before the kid ran back around and stopped before the three.

"Your Zuko costume is pretty good but your scar's on the wrong side." he said pointing before running off grinning. Zuko looked at him surprised and than irritated.

"The scar is not on the wrong side!" he said pointing at it before he shoved his hood over over his head. Freya laughed.

"Don't worry darling," she said patting his head.

"Don't pet me." he snapped. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He couldn't help but smile at her and she smirked.

The play started back up before Katara and Aang returned. The play continued on the group running to the Fire Nation and Aang getting better from his lightning strike as Sokka and Suki returned. Katara's episode as the painted lady followed along with Sokka getting his sword before a confusing scene that made it look as though the assassin Combustion man that Zuko hired died. Katara returned around then before the scene for the invasion began to being and Aang joined them, slumping into his seat behind Freya and catching her attention. He pulled his knees to his chest and looked rather disappointed. Freya rose an eyebrow before leaning forward slightly to look at Katara while Sokka mumbled behind her. She was staring right ahead but there was a frown upon her face as well.

"What?" Zuko whispered

"I dunno." she muttered before the next scene of the invasion began.

Katara, Freya and Aang's actresses were standing on the submarine.

"I just want to let you know Aang, that I'll always love you…" Katara said pointing at Aang before she added more to the end. "like a brother."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Actress Aang grinned before their shared a handshake and nodded.

"Come on Aang." Actress Freya said before they held hands and both were lifted into the air as Actress Aang opened her little glider, Actress Katara waving after them.

"Oh come on, that scene was so much cuter than that." Freya slumped and Zuko chuckled at her as she crossed her arms stubbornly and he pet her head.

Katara was frowning to the side as Aang blushed and hid his face in his rms and then pulled his hat down to hide it more.

Katara, Sokka and Toph were all standing on the submarine, looking around before actor Sokka turned to Actor Toph.

"Hey Toph, would you say you and Aang have a rocky relationship?" he asked. Freya dropped her head into her hand as the audience laughed and Sokka beamed behind her. He laughed, removing his arm from around Suki who looked surprised and then turned to Aang on his other side.

"I told him to say that." he whisper to Aang, lifting his hat up and sitting back down. Sokka turned back to the stage with anticipation now.

"I hope everyone's ready for The Invasion. Slop-A-Pow!" Actor Toph and Katara looked surprised and she sliced his hand forwards. Sokka was hitting his knee as he burst out laughing and Suki looked at him unsurely beside her.

The curtain dropped and then rose again to reveal the Fire Lord's throne chamber in the palace. The throne was pushed onto the deck and the stage hands ran off stage as the Avatar group ran on. Freya and Aang came down from the roof, Katara from the left and Sokka and Toph from the right.

"We finally made it to the royal palace but no one's home." Aang said shrugging.

Zuko walked onto the stage from the right, earning a spotlight.

"Actually, I'm home and I want to join you." he said. His wig was not shorter and spiked upwards and backwards.

"Nice hair." Freya smirked and Zuko rose an eyebrow at her.

There was silence on stage before Actor Sokka lowered his boomerang.

"I guess we have no choice. Come on." and they all left the stage.

"Oh come on, where's the intensity." Freya asked "That was so much more dramatic and they're loosing the suspense for taking it out."

"I guess that's it. The play's caught up to the present now." Sokka said as he stood up and stretched.

"Wait. The play's not over." Suki said, pulling him back down into his seat.

"But it is over. Unless… This is the future."

An actor for Fire Lord Ozai walked onto the stage by the throne and a comet moved across the top of the stage.

"With the energy harnessed from that comet, no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!" he declared pointing at it.

Actress Azula walked onto stage and bowed by her father.

"Father, Zuko and the Avatar are at the palace. They're trying to stop you." she said dramatically, pointing at her actor father.

"You take care of Zuko. I shall face the Avatar myself." Ozai said pointing from Azula to himself. There was a puff of smoke and the Fire Lord vanished before Zuko jumped onto the stage with Actress Aang who came down from the tops of the stage.

"Where's Ty Lee? Azula's not gonna use her?" Freya asked surprised

"What about Mai?" Zuko wondered and Freya rose an eyebrow to him.

"Zuko, Mai's likely in prison, she wont be helping Azula."

"What?" he asked surprised

"Oh come on, you know your sister, Mai betrayed her at the Boiling Rock by helping us escape remember." Zuko frowned and glanced away as Freya sighed. "You except Azula of all people to forgive that?"

"Aang, you fight the Fire Lord, I'll hold her off." Zuko said pointing at the avatar actress as they stood on either side of the princess actress.

Actress Aang said nothing and was lifted back into the air.

"You are no longer my brother. You are an enemy." Actress Azula said.

"No _,_ I am the rightful heir to the throne!" Actor Zuko declared.

"We'll see." Actress Azula smirked, giving off Azula's real essence.

Blue and Red ribbons went flying between the two of them as they jumped and dodged one another, ducking the ribbons that slashed at them both. Zuko threw two at Azula who dodged them both and jumped over the prince before she flared her hand and several fake fires shot up from the floor and one of them did so before Zuko, imitating engulfing him.

"Honour!" Actor Zuko shouted. He fell below the stage before Actress Azula turned to the audience and bowed. They all cheered, clapping, shouting and getting to their feet.

Freya had her hands over her mouth in surprise as everyone looked shocked and turned to Zuko, who's eyes widened.

The stage changed the backdrop looking similar to the ocean spirit from the North pole before fake fires flittered up along the front of the stage and Actress Aang walked on.

At the back of the stage the comet was going over the top of a throne which was occupied by Actor Ozai. The light turned on to spot light him and Actress Aang turned to him.

"So, you have mastered all 4 elements?" he asked

"Yeah and now, you're going down." The women grinned, pointing her finger down to the ground and winking at the audience.

"No, it is you who are going down." The man grinned. "You see, you are too late." Actress Aang turned to gasp at the audience in shock "The comet is already here and I'm unstoppable."

Aang looked at the stage wide eyed as the Actor Ozai pulled out two red streamers, stood from his seat and spun round to head at Actress Aang. He hit the ground with one of the ribbons as the girl dodged and smoke shot up where it hit. Light blue flags popped out of the sides of Actress Aang's staff to imitate air bending and she turned it as she headed back towards the Fire Lord actor.

Actress Aang went over the top of actor Ozai as he swung his ribbons around before they both turned around and went back at one another again. Actress Aang jumped backwards before several ribbons went shooting at her while she jumped over the actor of Fire Lord Ozai's head. He then shot both hands forward and a giant fire blast shot from behind him and towards the avatar who grabbed it as it was wrapped around her. She was lifted into the air as it spun around and rolling up.

"Nooo…"

The rolled up fire and the avatar fell to the ground, her voice trialing away as she did.

Actress Azula walked back onto the stage.

"It is over, Father. We've done it." she grinned

"Yes, we have done it!" Fire rose up to the actor's knees before another rose up behind them both and another behind that. "The dreams of my Father, and my Father's Father have now been realised." The fire Nation insignia dropped down from the roof as the Fire Lord Actor was lifted up on a pedestal. "The World is mine."

Everyone got to their feet cheering and celebrating the end of the play as the seven were stunned into their seats and staring at the stage by the end of the play's outcome.

"Not a good future." Freya said.

The seven of them walked across the beach and way from the theatre to head back toward Zuko's family home, their heads all dropped by the end of the play and seeming melancholy.

"That... wasn't a good play." Zuko said from in front with Freya and Aang.

"I'll say." the avatar agreed

"No kidding." Katara said

"Horrible." Suki agreed

"You said it." Toph muttered.

"Told you it'd suck." Freya grumbled

"But the effects were decent." Sokka said honestly.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48:

Aang's foot slid along the ground before he swung his hand and then his foot for fire to arc and curve from them. He swung his other foot before turning his arms over one another and fire flared around him like a staff being twirled around.

"More ferocious!" Zuko said as he was standing watching Aang with his arms crossed and his familiar scowl on his face. Everyone else besides Freya were sitting on the stairs by the house watching, Katara with a barrel before her and a few melons. Freya was standing a little ways from Zuko, watching Aang in his moves. Aang shot forwards past Zuko twice as he watched him pass. "Imagine striking through your opponent's heart."

Aang shot a fist forward before he groaned and turned to Zuko.

"Ugh! I'm trying."he sad

"Freya you show him!" Zuko snapped and she looked at him annoyed

"Sure, you can be that opponent." she returned and Zuko flinched slightly before turned back to Aang.

"Let me hear you roar like a tiger-dillo!" he snapped.

Aang turned his hands out and he made a low like growl. The fire that came from him was small as well.

"Wow." Freya muttered unimpressed.

"That sounded pathetic!" Zuko snapped, making Aang flinch "I said roar!"

Aang did the move again and fire shot from his hands and mouth as he roared properly. Momo ran across the ground towards Zuko, clinging to his leg and hiding behind him.

"Better." Freya nodded with a smile and Aang smiled at her as Zuko nodded in agreement. Katara turned with a smile and a watermelon in her hand from the barrel beside her.

"Who wants a nice, cool glass of watermelon juice?" she called

"Ooo, ooo, me, me, me!" Aang cheered as he turned to run towards her. Zuko reached out and grabbed his collar.

"Hey, your lesson's not over yet! Get back here." Zuko snapped as Aang glanced at him before turning to pull from the prince's grip, his tongue between his teeth. Zuko responded by lifting Aang off his feet with one hand.

"Zuko you're turning into a drill sergeant." Freya frowned

"Come on, Zuko. Just take a break. What's the big deal?" Suki asked as Sokka had a melon in his hand and was sipping from the straw.

"Fine." Zuko released Aang and the boy shot at Katara to take the melon from her with a beaming smile on his face. "If you want to lounge around like a bunch of snail-sloths all day, then go ahead!" Zuko snapped before he turned and stalked off.

Freya looked at him confused, her eyebrows furrowed as Aang drew on his straw and the others watched Zuko leave.

"What's with him all of sudden?" Freya mumbled

"Maybe Zuko's right." Sokka said "Sitting around the house has made us pretty lazy. But I know just the thing to change that." Sokka grinned as he got to his feet and grabbed his collar, pulling it off to reveal his swimming trunks. "Beach party!" and he jumped before they were all at the beach side and Sokka dove into the water.

Suki lay on the beach on a mat as Katara iced her feet and went surfing over the water. Freya ran at the waves and then dove down under them and went shooting across the water with a wave of her hand.

Sokka walked across the beach with a heap of seaweed in his hands and past Suki in her red bathing suit. He walked back past her with two buckets and then back again when they were full of sea water, a grin on his face.

Aang rose a piece of drift wood and stabbed it into a mound of sand below him.

"Check out," he was sitting on a giant sand sculpture with an arrow on it's head. "My Appa sand sculpture." It was very life like, down to the toes poking out. Appa growled at it and turned to walk away as Toph walked up to him.

"Not bad, baldy." she said as he jumped down before her. "But I've been working on my sandbending." she stretched her fingers and turned to the sand before her. "You're gonna love this." she thrusted her hand downwards and the ground sunk in places before there was a giant city before her.

Aang peered over it before he looked down as there was a tiny Earth King with his pet bear, the city being Ba Sing Se.

"Whoa. Wow, you even made a little Earth King and Bosco." Aang grinned as Freya came skimming across the sand with flames at her feet, skidding in behind Aang with a grin, her hair drenched.

"Awesome Toph." she smirked

Sokka was standing by a mound of sand himself, drilling into it with his tongue between his teeth.

"Try and top that, Sokka." Toph said.

The boy in question turned to peer unimpressed at Toph's creation before grinning and turning around.

"Ta-da!" it was clearly a face, though it looked wrinkled and like it was supposed to be a seal or a whale. A starfish acted at a nose, shells and rocks for a mouth, the shells looking like buckteeth, rocks for eyes and seaweed for hair.

"Is that a blubbering, blob monster?" Aang asked and Sokka looked insulted.

"No, it's Suki." he said. Aang mouth dropped before they both burst out laughing.

"Ouch." Freya said

"Suki, we'll all understand if you break up with him over this." Toph said snickering

"I think it's sweet." Suki smiled before Sokka skidded to kneel beside her and kiss her cheek.

"But it doesn't even look like…" Aang began before a burst of fire shot down at Sokka's sand sculpture and exploded it, the sand shooting out and all over Aang and Toph as Freya waved her hand and water acted as a barrier for her.

They all turned to see Zuko running towards the ledge and jumping off the cliff. He shot more fire blasts at Aang who turned to run, jumping Toph's city which was ruined with a blast as Freya shot her hand and dispersed one.

Aang glanced at Zuko as he ran for the Appa sculpture and hid behind it. Zuko landed and ran across what was left of the city towards Aang.

"Zuko!?" Freya said confused and surprised as he ran past her.

"What are you doing?!" Aang demanded as he peaked around the Appa's head.

"Teaching you a lesson!" Zuko said before he swung his fist and Aang ducked behind the sand before it was sliced straight through.

"Zuko stop!" Freya snapped as Aang dodged to the side. Zuko turned to him and Aang dodged another shoot of fire to jump up the cliff.

"Zuko!" Freya said angrily as he fired after Aang again, missing, a few more times before he ran to the cliff and began to climb up it after Aang.

Katara slid to a stop at the shore as Freya looked furious.

"What happened?" she asked as Sokka was attending to the lump of sand that had been his sculpture.

"Zuko's gone crazy! I made a sand sculpture of Suki and he destroyed it!" Sokka complained before he paused. "Oh, and he's attacking Aang." he added.

Freya growled before there was a slam of her foot and she shot into the air after the two back towards the house.

"What is wrong with him!" she shouted angrily.

Suki grabbed Sokka and pulled him towards the house as Katara and Toph went too after the duo bender.

The two were running up the ridge as Freya landed on it and she watched Aang jump to avoid another fire blast before he ran up a point and jumped onto a tree.

"Zuko stop!" Freya shouted "What have I said about unintentionally attacking people!" she called before she wove her hand and Zuko glanced backwards before diving sideways to avoid the water spout that'd shot up from the ocean at him.

"This is for his own good!" Zuko said

"What the hell does that mean!?" she demanded as he continued after the avatar who'd jumped onto the roof of the house. Zuko leapt onto the balcony before he swung himself up onto the red tiles after him and Freya bent her knees before she jumped, grabbed the edge of the tiles and twirled her way up after him.

The two boys were standing facing one another as Aang was waiting and Freya watched them as they both held bending stances.

"Get a grip before I blast you off this roof!" Aang advised

"Go ahead and do it!" Zuko snapped back

"I will!" Freya snapped from behind him

Zuko shot his hands out to both sides and Freya shot a hand forwards to disperse the orange flames as Zuko kicked both feet at Aang to follow the first blast.

Aang jumped and dodged, sliding down the tiles and over the edge, swinging his way in through a window and skidding behind a chest of draws.

Freya however had launched forward and grabbed Zuko's arm before she swung him around rose her foot and kicked him in the back. He cried out as he stumbled forward before she turned around, bit of water accumulated around her and she shot the little daggers as his sides. They caught his clothes and pulled him backwards off the edge of the tiled roof. Freya rose her hands again and a heap of water shot from the ocean to catch the boy before Freya jumped off the roof, landed and then shot at Zuko, catching him at his shoulders so they went rolling along the floor until she was sitting on him and slamming him into the ground.

"What the hell!?" she shouted, loudly for Aang to hear and get up from his place. Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki joined Freya as Aang appeared at the doors on the balcony above and peered down. Freya stood up and got off of Zuko who sat up and rubbed his head.

"I can't believe you!" she said "It's like you've reverted back to your ways before you lost your ship!" she shouted at him angrily.

"What's wrong with you?!" Katara agreed as Aang jumped off the balcony and landed near the group. "You could have hurt Aang." she scolded as Freya crossed her arms looking furious and Aang frowned at Zuko.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you!" he demanded as he got to his feet. "How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet is only 3 days away!" Freya rose an eyebrow, loosing a bit of her stiffness as everyone stared at Zuko obviously.

"Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?" he asked

"You just went on a full blown bandit spree, burning down trees and attacking your allies." Freya said obviously before Aang stepped forward.

"About Sozin's Comet… I was actually going to wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came." he said

"After?" Zuko asked shocked

"I'm not ready." he frowned looking unconfident. "I need more time to master firebending."

"And frankly, your earthbending could still use some work too." Toph admitted, earning a disappointed look from Aang.

"So… You all knew Aang was going to wait?" Zuko asked looking over them all and then at Freya who was still glaring at him.

"Honestly, if Aang tries to fight the Fire Lord right now, he's gonna lose." Sokka believed 'No offence." he added

"The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war. But they pretty much won the war when they took Ba Sing Se. Things can't get any worse." Katara believed as she dropped her head.

"You're wrong. It's about to get worse than you can even imagine." Zuko said and they all shared a look confused.

"The day before the eclipse, my Father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about and wanted for so many years. My Father had finally accepted me back." Zuko explained "It was a discussion on what to do about Earth Kingdom rebellions, even though Ba Sing Se was taken over, the Fire Nation hadn't gotten total victory and control of the entire Kingdom. The generals were all there as well as Azula, giving their reports about it. My father even asked me for my opinion about the Earth Kingdom citizens. I explained troops would do nothing as long as they were hopeful and my father decided the only solution was to destroy their hope. And then Azula made a comment about burning all of the Earth Kingdom with comet, just like My Great-Grandfather Sozin had done with the Air Nomads." Freya lost her crossed arms as they all looked shocked at the prince.

"My father agreed." Zuko said, sitting himself down and bowing his head. "He decided that he was going to get rid of the four nations and just leave the Fire Nation, but over the entire world. I wanted to speak out against this horrifying plan. But I'm ashamed to say I didn't. My whole life I struggled to gain my Father's love and acceptance. But once I had it, I realised I lost myself getting there. I forgotten who I was." Katara put her head into her hand and fell to her knees as Sokka and Suki shared a frown. Freya was staring at Zuko.

"I can't believe this." Katara said shaking her head.

"I always knew that the Fire Lord was a bad guy but his plan is just pure evil." Sokka said

"What am I going to do?" Aang frowned

"I know you're scared." Zuko said standing up, walking to and and facing Aang "And I know that you're not ready to save the World. But if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, there won't be a World to save anymore."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49:

"Why didn't you tell me about your Dad's crazy plan sooner?" Aang demanded as he paced and stalked around.

"I didn't think I had to. I assumed that you were still going to fight him before the comet. No one told me you decided to wait!"

"Wait or not you should have told us this!" Freya snapped "The Fire Lord is going to wipe out the Earth Kingdom and you think you shouldn't tell us because of timing?" she asked angrily. Zuko frowned at her and she threw her hands into the air before running them through her hair in panic.

"This is bad. This is really, really bad." Aang said as he grabbed his head, shook it and fell to his knees.

"Aang, you don't have to do this alone." Katara assured him as she walked up behind him and Zuko and Toph joined her.

"Yeah. If we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot at taking him down." Toph said as Suki and Sokka joined them.

"Alright!" Sokka cheered raising his arm in enthusiasm. "Team Avatar is back!" he pointed from one bender to the other as he spoke. "Air. Water. Earth. Fire." He picked up two different leaves to imitate fan and a sword, giving Suki the fan one. "Fan and sword!" his leaf lost its straightness.

"Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done together. But I wouldn't want to do it any other way." Aang smiled fondly.

Sokka, Katara, Toph and Suki all moved over to Aang and they shared a hug as Freya crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Get over here, Zuko." Katara said, catching his attention as he'd been watching Freya. They made a space for him between Suki and Toph. "Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs." Zuko pulled a look before he walked towards them and joined the hug.

"Freya?" Katara said

"I'm still mad a Zuko." she said and he sighed.

"You always seem mad at me."

"Are you surprised!" she snapped suddenly.

"He had a good reason." Aang said

"No reason is a good one for firing fire at someone!" she said

"I think Freya may have been a tad worried you'd reverted back to your old ways." Sokka said smirking at Zuko slightly

"Shut up Sokka." Freya snapped. There was a groan and they all turned to see Appa float down towards Freya before he shoved her into the others and onto Zuko and then proceeded to knock them all over in an effort to join the hugging.

Everyone laughed as Freya huffed.

"Thanks Appa." she muttered and he growled at her in response as Momo dropped onto his head.

Freya sighed. "Well considering things have changed I think we need to stop the beach party and do something proper." she said to everyone

"Like what?" Aang asked

"That's Sokka's choice he's the plan maker." she said "Just as long as it let's me knocked Zuko on his ass again." Zuko smiled at her.

"If it'll make you forgive me." and she scoffed in return as they all began to get to their feet. "But first there's something else I need to teach Aang." Zuko said looking at him and he looked at Zuko at the statement.

"Well everyone else can get dressed in the mean time." Suki offered.

Zuko and Aang stood in the courtyard facing one another as Freya walked out fully clothed again, moving to the steps as Katara followed her, sitting beside her.

"There's one technique you need to know before facing my Father. How to redirect lightning." Aang smiled slightly.

"Well how to create it might be a good one too." Freya said and Zuko looked at her annoyed.

"You trying to remind me I can't do it?"

"Pretty much." she said.

"Freya can though, I've seen her." Aang paused "Come to think of it, I've seen you redirect it too." and she nodded.

"I learnt it at the same time Zuko did. I was the only one between the two of us to be able to create lightning too." Zuko looked at her for reminding him before he sighed and turned back to Aang. He took a stance, widening his feet apart and raised his arms.

"If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it." Zuko began to make the same motion Iroh had made when he taught the prince the move, travelling his fingers down his arm, to his stomach and back up again. "You turn your opponent's energy against them."

"That's like waterbending." Aang realised

"Exactly. My Uncle invented this technique himself by studying waterbenders." Zuko admitted as Aang copied his motions.

"So... Have you ever redirected lightning before?" Aang wondered

"Twice. Once against Freya in the Catacombs." Zuko admitted turning to her and Aang did the same.

"Though he didn't shoot it at me." she shrugged as Katara looked slightly worried

"And again against my Father." Zuko finished

"I can give you a demonstration if you'd like Aang." Freya offered, walking down the steps.

"You want to shoot lightning at me?!" Aang asked stepping back, stopping his motions and Zuko doing the same.

"I'm not shooting you, I'm gonna shoot Zuko." she shrugged casually and the firebender groaned

"Freya…" she shot him a look as he whined and he didn't continue.

"Maybe you shouldn't Freya." Katara said worried from behind her.

"Fine, I'll fire it at the sky." she said sounding disappointed as she walked into the middle of the courtyard. "If you'd like to see that is, Aang." she said turning to him.

"Show me!" he grinned.

Freya smiled before she took a breath and took her stance. She began to circle her hands downwards and up in a half circle, one after the other and lightning sparked, following her fingers before she shot one forward and the lightning cracked and sparked, shooting off into the sky before vanishing.

"Awesome." Aang grinned

"Lightning isn't a play toy." Freya said as she took a breath and then walked towards him and Zuko. "If you redirect lightning, you cannot let it cross you heart." she said placing a hand over her chest. "That much energy over your heart could cause it to stop, that's why you have to direct it down to your stomach." she said moving her own hand and he nodded. "Also remember that only Zuko, Iroh and I know this move beside you, Iroh made it himself and passed it on to us to tell you. We're the only ones who could shoot back if shot at us. If you redirect Ozai's lighting and fire it at him, he wont be able to stop it." she said and Aang's smile dropped from his face.

"What did it feel like? Redirecting lightning?" Aang asked, turning to Zuko beside him.

"Exhilarating." And the boy grinned. "But terrifying." Aang's grin fell from his face as Zuko added the last word. "You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body. But you know that you make the wrong move, it's over."

"Heh." Aang laughed nervously "Well, not over over, I mean there's always Katara and a little spirit water action... Am I right?" he said turn to the girl, all three benders turning to her.

"Actually I used it all up after Azula shot you." she confessed with Momo beside her.

"Oh." Aang said

"When you redirect lightning, it's not just your life that could be over." Freya warned gravely.

"You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life. Before he takes yours." Aang looked unsure as Zuko walked away.

"Yeah... I'll just do that." Aang muttered unsurely and Freya frowned at him as he glanced up at her.

"You guys all done?" Sokka and Suki stood by the door as he grinned with his sword strapped to his back. "Good, let's go." he had a melon under his arm, some fabric over his shoulder and Suki a few sticks.

"Go?" Katara asked. She shared a look with Aang before the three in the courtyard and Zuko who'd been heading for the door anyway, followed the water tribe boy with Suki.

They moved from the house and met Toph waiting for them outside of it before tracking up to the the rocky mountain points a little ways behind it and up from the house. Sokka started fiddling with the sticks and fabric before he had a scarecrow.

"Gather round Team Avatar." he slammed the melon onto the top and he'd carved a face into it and they all gathered before him, kneeling in a circle. "In order to take out the Fire Lord, or in this case, the "Melon Lord", our timing has to be perfect." He kneeled down to the dirt with a stick in his hand, he drew the face on the melon in the dirt before him. "First, Suki and I will draw his fire." He drew their direction around the left. "Then, Katara, Freya and Zuko charge in with some liquidy hot offence," This line was drawn straight at the melon lord. "And while the "Melon Lord" is distracted, Aang swoops in and "BAM!"" he drew a curved line around the right hand side and cut it right through the melon lord. "He delivers the final blow." Aang stared at the drawing unsurely.

"You realise this kind of plan likely wont actually work in a real fight right?" Freya said

"Why not?" Sokka asked

"Well, for one thing you've forgotten about Azula." Freya said obviously and Sokka's expression slumped. "Secondly, how would we even get this close to the Fire Lord without there being defences in place." she shrugged "An invasion could hardly get into the palace due to their guards' numbers, how could we get through all of them when there's seven of us. Even if we were stealthy and could get into the palace to get to the Fire Lord, there's still a lot of guards to get through. Which is another point, we have no guards here." she said obviously.

"I already thought about that," Sokka began

"Err... what about me?" Toph asked and Sokka grinned

"For now, you're the Melon Lord's forces." he said and Freya blinked before sighing.

"So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?" she smirked

"Whatever makes the training feel more realistic." Sokka shrugged

"Sweetness."

"The exercise is more about our cooperation together more than realism." Sokka said to Freya who shrugged in response and got to her feet.

"Well then Toph will need some boulders, Zuko can you light some fires and Katara, you and I will find some oil to put on the boulders." Freya said and they all nodded.

The Melon Lord stood in top of the hill, it's arms up in the air and Toph was stationed before him.

"Muahahahahahaha!" she cackled. Boulders surrounded her, covered in black liquid and a few bowls filled with fire burned before them.

Freya, Katara and Zuko sat crouched behind some rocks, Aang a little ways to the side with Momo while Suki and Sokka, dressed in his armour, peered out at Toph. They waited for Sokka before he waved his hand for them to go.

Suki and Sokka ran across the ground while Zuko, Freya and Katara climbed their way up a ledge and ran across the ledges towards Toph.

The ground shook before Sokka and Suki and they came to a stop as earth soldiers, with horned helmets on their heads, rose out of the ground and grounded across toward them. Sokka drew his sword and sliced straight through the one in front of him while Suki jumped and bashed another to the ground, breaking it. They continued on, ignoring the last solider before a boulder went flying, covered in fire and landed right before them. Suki jumped, her legs apart and her hands on the rock as she jumped over it and the flames, Sokka however was lying flat on the floor the rock and fire inches from his nose.

"Watch it, Toph!" he shouted at her, waving his fist around as he'd lost his helmet, lying on the floor beside him.

"I am not Toph, I am "Melon Lord"! Muahahahahaha!" Toph laughed wickedly before she rose another oil covered boulder, placed it over a fire for it to catch alight and sent it flying up into the air and at the three benders charging up the path.

Zuko and Katara split sideways and Freya shot fire from her hands to shoot herself forwards and have the boulder land behind her. They continued onwards before more earth soldiers moved forwards and surrounded the three. Zuko and Katara stopped, standing back to back while Freya ran at one, jumped, one hand on it's shoulder before it exploded in a burst of flames and she continued forwards while Zuko and Katara whipped around water and fire to cut apart the others. Freya slid under another soldier Toph sent at her, whipping water from her pouch to slice it up before she continued her way towards Toph. The earth bender sent another flaming rock at her but Freya swirled her hands around before shooting the lightning at the rock and exploding it.

"Now, Aang!" Sokka yelled.

Aang ran up a ledge and up from behind Toph and the Melon Lord. He had his staff raised, ready to bash through the melon before he came to a stop and didn't bash the scarecrow. Everyone stood behind a rock as Freya landed beside Toph who had her back to the boy.

"What are you waiting for? Take him out!" Zuko shouted but Aang shook his head

"I can't."

Sokka was first to streak up towards the boy, the other's following.

"What's wrong with you? If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now." he scolded

"I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself." Aang frowned. Sokka stared at him, raising an eyebrow, before he pulled out his sword and slung it behind him. Aang looked surprised as he cut the top off of the melon.

"There. That's how it's done." Sokka said and Aang looked at him surprised while Momo ran to the cut off piece of melon, licking it. Aang stared down at the broken melon unsurely.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50:

Night had fallen and everyone sat out in the courtyard eating dinner. Aang had hardly touched his as he had his back to the others and Katara walked out to join them.

"I have a surprise for everyone!" she called as she had a scroll in her hands.

"I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" Everyone looked at her and then up at Katara as if waiting for the answer as Katara gave her a frown.

"Er, no." Everyone returned to their rice, less interested. "I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this." she unrolled the scroll in her hand to reveal a black haired baby painting staged at the beach. It's hands were in the air, a large smile on his face as he wore nothing back a red diaper. "Look at baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?" Katara teased as everyone chuckled

Freya tipped her head and rose an eyebrow. "That's not Zuko." she said looking at is unsurely.

"And how would you know?" Sokka asked smirking

"The hair's too dark for one." she said obviously as Zuko closed his eyes almost looking annoyed

"Oh lighten up, I was just teasing." Katara smiled

"That's not me. It's my Father."

Everyone was silent and Katara lowered the painting.

"But he looked so sweet and innocent." Suki said pointing at it and Katara rolled it up.

"Well that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster. And the worst Father in the history of Fathers." Zuko said

"But he is still a human being." Aang said, drawing everyone's attention.

"You're going to defend him?" Zuko questioned

"No, I agree with you. Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person and the World will probably be better off without him." Aang said as he got to his feet and turned to them. "But there's gotta be another way."

"Like what?" Zuko questioned

"I don't know." he frowned before grinning "Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use gluebending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore."

"Yeah. Then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again." Zuko said sarcastically, causing Suki and Sokka to snicker behind him.

"Do you really think that would work?" Aang asked naively

"No!" Zuko snapped and Aang hung his head with a sigh.

"This would be a lot easier if he could just not bend." Freya sighed before she turned to Zuko annoyed. "Why do you fire royalty need to all be benders?" Zuko gave her a look for having a go at him unnecessarily and she sighed.

"This goes against everything I learned from the monks. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like…" Aang said as he paced in front of them all.

"Sure, you can. You're the Avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the Universe will forgive you." Sokka shrugged.

Aang rounded on hm angrily. "This isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understands the position I'm in!" Sokka jumped at his outburst as Katara frowned.

"Aang, we do understand. It's just…" Katara began

"Just what, Katara?! What?" he demanded

"We're trying to help." Katara snapped back

"Then when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I love to hear it!" Aang shouted, throwing his hands in the air and then stalking towards the house.

"Aang, don't walk away from this." Katara snapped before she turned to follow him. Zuko caught her shoulder to stop her and she looked at him surprised.

"Let him go. He needs time to sort it out by himself."

"Besides, you're doing a bad job of trying to help him, you'll just upset him more." Freya said obviously before taking a sip from her bowl and everyone turned to her.

"What?" Katara asked

"Like you're much different." Zuko said and Freya shot him a look before turning to Katara.

"Tell me Katara, why didn't you run Yon Rha through with those icicles? Why didn't you do it?" Katara frowned and turned her are away. "Sokka when have you ever had to stain your sword with blood? Have you ever plunged it through someone's stomach?" he gazed to the side. "Taking a life is not something to do lightly. It all comes back to you conscious and your humanity. You're literally ending someone, killing someone is not as easy as slicing the top off of a melon." she said and Sokka glanced at Suki. "Aang's one of the most gentle people, not just as an Air Nomad. He's a vegetarian in order to not cause harm to animals and he just wants to help everyone. It doesn't matter what kind of person Ozai is, he is still a person." they all shared glances. "You wanna help, stop with the buts." she said

"What else do you expect us to do?" Katara asked

"Stop expecting a twelve year old to simply kill a person!" she snapped "You Katara should know it's not an easy thing to do! You had every reason to end that man and you couldn't, not you didn't, you _couldn't_ , you really think Aang's any more capable!?" she demanded getting to her feet. "It's like you people don't know Aang at all! Telling him you want to help and then adding a 'but' in there, saying there's no choice, you really think that helps him?" They all frowned.

"Seriously its like I'm the only one who actually feels for him." she groaned before grabbing her plates and moving off inside.

Aang sat on one of the balconies with candles lit before him and some fruits in a bowl and a cup of water. He had his legs crossed and was meditating, his guilder leaning on the railing as the ocean sat in the distance. The door opened quietly behind him and Freya came out, closing it behind him before she moved to sit beside him. She took her own position, her legs crossed and putting her hands together before Aang glanced at her as she closed her eyes.

"You going to tell me to get over it?" he said sourly.

"Absolutely not." she responded calmly and he looked at her slightly surprised. "Taking a life is not exactly an easy thing, especially for someone as peaceful as a Nomad." she said smiling slightly. "I probably understand better because I met the monks and learned about their way of life unlike anyone else."

"They just don't seem to get it." Aang frowned talking about the others.

"More they're not opening their minds to another option."

"Like what?" Aang asked.

Freya sighed and slumped a little, turning to him. "I don't know." she frowned "Like I said, this wouldn't be a problem if he couldn't bend, we could just lock him in a cell somewhere and he wouldn't be able to get out."

Aang glanced back to the ocean before them. "Well that's not an option."

"Unfortunately." she grumbled. "If we could knock him out for ages than maybe we could build some really advanced cell, maybe in one of the Poles to trap him in but something like that would likely take time." Freya said as she leaned her head into her hand. "It's amazing how prepared we've made ourselves for this point and yet we still seem to have nothing."

"It wasn't until it came to this point that I even thought about what I was going to do, at the Invasion it never even occurred to me." Aang admitted and Freya nodded

"Not until Zuko asked." she understood as Momo flew down and landed before the boy, hopping into his lap and looking up at the boy, catching his attention.

"Hey, Momo." he pat the lemur's head. "I don't suppose you know what I should do." The lemur responded with a caw. "I didn't think so." he frowned before regaining his position and the lemur curled up beside him.

"You never know." Freya whispered turning back to the ocean "A solution may just present itself, somehow." she smiled at him. Aang smiled back.

"Thanks Freya." she placed an arm around his shoulders and he leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Any time, little brother." she grinned, earning a roll of the eyes from him.

"Remember I'm older than you."

"Not physically or mentally. Just in years." she chuckled.

Both children fell asleep out on the balcony with Momo, the candles going out after they'd burnt through the wick of the candles. Light shone from inside through the small windows and the moon lit some of the porch as the sky was clear.

A sound began through the night as Aang opened his eyes, looking blank and drowsy. It sounded like chanting as Aang sat up and in the ocean there was now a tree covered Island. Aang stood to his feet before walking towards the balcony railing, stepping over the small table of fruits and candles before he jumped over and down to the ground. Momo woke up chirping and moved to the railing before he cawed and cried a little. Freya sighed and she sat up rubbing her eyes before she looked at the lemur. He flew off towards the water as Freya looked at the island sleepily. She blinked a few times before she began to sway slightly and her eyes flittered shut as if she'd been hypnotised to sleep.

Aang however continued to walk down the path as though sleepwalking while Momo flew over his head. He left footprints in the sand as he moved toward the water and then walked straight into it. The water rose up as he walked until it was at his waist before he leaned forward and began to swim toward the mysterious island before him. Momo sat on the sand watching him before flying into the air and after the boy.

The sun rose shining on the ocean and on the house. The water crashed on the sand as everyone was getting up, having breakfast and packing Appa's saddle. Toph sat on the empty fountain in the courtyard behind the house as Sokka was in the saddle, everyone else standing beside the bison.

Freya began to stir as she was still lying on the balcony before she sat up. She rubbed her eyes tiredly before looking at the ocean, she blinked a few times, looking at it as if trying to comprehend, before she shook her head.

She looked around to find herself alone and by herself, Aang was missing and Momo was gone too. Freya noticed Aang's glider was still on the balcony as she ran a hand through her hair and shook it again, there was a fogginess in her mind that made her feel drowsy still. She looked at the sun and noticed it was rather high, it seemed she'd slept in much more than ever expected of her.

Voices sounded behind her shouting throughout the house before footsteps joined it. Eventually Sokka walked out behind her.

"Freya, there you are." he said and she turned to him

"Huh?" she asked

"Have you seen Aang?" he asked

"Aang?" she wondered before placing a hand to her head as if unsure. Sokka rose an eyebrow at her before he noticed Aang's glider. "He was here last night." she muttered as Katara joined him.

"Freya, what are you doing here?" she asked

"I just woke up." she admitted as Suki joined the three.

"But, you're always awake before us." Suki admitted as Sokka moved over to the glider, catching Katara's attention.

"Freya have you seen Aang?" she asked

"Not this morning." Freya admitted as she stood up. "Ugh my head feels foggy." she mumbled as she shook it again

"He left his staff. That's so strange." Sokka said as Zuko and Toph walked out as well.

"He was here last night." Freya said before Zuko came over to her

"Are you alright?"

"I dunno, I had a weird dream last night, and now I feel like I can't remove the drowsiness." she confessed and Zuko placed a hand on her shoulder before turning to the others.

"Aang's not in the house. Let's check the beach." He said.

They all left the house and moved down the path to the beach, along the sand where they found a set of footprints. Freya looked down at it before she got to the edge of the water and she stared out at it, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Look! There's his footprints." Sokka said crouching down at the end by Freya. "The trail ends here."

"So... He went for a midnight swim and never came back?" Suki asked confused.

"Maybe he was captured." Katara frowned

"I don't think so. There's no sign of a struggle." Sokka assured as Toph walked forward and crouched beside the water tribe boy.

"I bet he ran away again." she said

"Ah-uh. He left behind his glider and Appa." Sokka reminded him

"Then what do _you_ think happened to him oh sleuthy one?" Toph questioned

"It's pretty obvious." Sokka said standing up "Aang mysteriously disappears before an important battle? He's definitely on a Spirit World journey."

"But if he was, wouldn't his body still be here?" Zuko remembered

"Oh yeah, forgot about that." Sokka said slumping.

"Then he's gotta be somewhere on Ember Island. Let's split up and look for him." Katara decided.

"I'm going with Zuko!" Toph said before clinging herself to his arm and causing him to blush. Everyone stared at her surprised, beside Freya who was still staring at the water looking confused. "What? Everyone else went on a life changing fieldtrip with Zuko. Now it's my turn." Toph explained grinning. Sokka turned for the house to get Appa, while Katara and Suki, still dressed in Fire Nation red, moved off for the town. Zuko and Toph moved to go along the beach before Zuko realised Freya hadn't moved.

"Freya? Come on." he said and she blinked as though she hadn't heard him before turning.

"What?"

"What's with you?" Toph asked and she turned back to the ocean.

"There was an island there." she said

"What?" Zuko asked

"An Island? Where?" Toph asked

"In the ocean." she muttered

"Freya, there's no island."

"I know…" she muttered. "I don't understand." she rubbed her head "I swear I saw an island covered in trees, it looked like a hill, standing out of the water."

"Well what happened to it then?" Zuko asked but Freya only shook her head.

"I don't know." she mumbled. She looked at the foot prints and then back at the water. "But Aang looks definitely as though he went for a swim. If there was an island then that would explain where he went but…"

"Where'd the island go?" Zuko finished for her.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51:

Everyone sat on the front steps of the Royal Family's holiday home. Zuko had his head in his hands, Katara, now in her water tribe clothes, sat beside Suki who'd slumped in her seat, as Toph was leaning her elbow on the step to support her head. Freya was standing on the path still staring at the water.

Appa flew down with Sokka on his head and stopped between Freya and the others on the steps as he looked at them all looking disappointed.

"Judging by the looks on your faces, I'm guessing you guys didn't find Aang either." he said before jumping down.

"No." Zuko confessed as the two older girls looked at him. "But Freya said something a bit… strange." he confessed and they all turned to her. "She said she saw an island just off the shore last night."

"An island?" Suki asked

"How is that possible?" Katara asked "There's nothing there."

"I know, but I swear I woke up and saw it. Aang wasn't there but Momo was sitting on the railing staring at it too. Before I could do much else I was suddenly back asleep again." Freya said turning to them. "It's like the island moved."

"How is that possible?" Sokka asked but Freya only shrugged.

"I thought I dreamt it at first but Aang footprints lead directly to where the island was, and if he's not here and he didn't take Appa or his glider than a moving island makes the most sense." she said

"Well he can't just disappear." Zuko thought.

"Hey, wait a minute," Toph said sitting up, crossing her arms and legs. "Has anyone noticed that Momo's missing too?"

"Oh no!" Sokka gasped, turning around to the bison behind him as Freya stood by his head. "I knew it was only a matter of time." he cried to the sky before jumping down beside Freya and to Appa. "Appa ate Momo!" he opened the bison's mouth, waking him from his daze. "Momo, I'm coming for ya, buddy." Sokka cried, climbing into the bison's mouth.

"Sokka, Appa didn't eat Momo. He's probably with Aang." Katara said obviously.

"That's just what Appa wants you to think." Sokka said before he crawled along the bison's tongue and Appa closed his mouth so that only Sokka's feet were visible.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka. We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only 2 days away." Zuko reminded them.

"What should we do Zuko?" Katara asked as she, Suki and Toph all looked at him and Sokka slipped out of the bisons mouth covered in saliva, a pool of it slaying out around him as Freya side stepped out of the way.

"I don't know. If he's in the middle of the ocean it would likely take us the two days to search it all." he said standing up as Freya moved to stand on the bottom step.

"We don't have to search the entire ocean." Freya said confidently as everyone stared at Zuko and waited. He looked at them all for a moment as even Sokka lifted his head from the slime he was lying in.

"Why are you all looking at me?" he asked

"Well, you are kind of the expert on tracking Aang." Katara reminded him as Sokka stood up and waved his hands trying to get the bison saliva from his clothes.

"Yeah, if anyone's got experience hunting the Avatar, it's you." Toph agreed as Sokka took a step and slipped back over into the puddle of saliva.

Zuko looked at them all before turning to Freya, she returned the gaze before he glanced to the side.

"Everyone on the bison." he instructed and they all followed him as he climbed onto Appa's head, Sokka crawled out of the puddle and Freya flicked her wrist for the slobber to fly from him. They then all climbed onto the beast as Freya sat beside Zuko, the two sharing a glance.

"Yip, yip." Zuko flicked the reins and they rose up and over the water. The sky began to change colours as they moved across the sea. Freya glanced at Zuko beside her as they began to leave the Fire Nation. Sokka leaned on the saddle looking down at the two as Suki and Katara glanced at the boy unsurely.

"Zuko, I don't want to tell you how to do your job but why are we heading towards the Earth Kingdom? There's no way Aang's there." Sokka thought

"Just trust me." Zuko said. Freya glanced at Sokka who rose an eyebrow at her and she glanced back at Zuko. They needed a way to track Aang, a way to find him, and somehow Zuko actually knew of a way to do that. He tried so many plans and yet here he is with an instant one when needed?

 _Unless he's trying an old one…_ she thought.

"Why couldn't Freya just find this moving island she's so confident she saw?" Sokka asked smirking. Freya looked annoyed.

"And how do you expect me to find something that I don't know where it is?" She offered "Finding Aang was different, I had an idea on where to look. The Fire Nation. Where do you find a moving island amongst an entire world of oceans!" she turned snapping at him. Sokka ducked slightly behind the saddle. "He could be a continent away!" she stopped and turned to Zuko surprised.

"Bounty hunter!" she remembered and he nodded. "Wow, I forgot about her."

"About who?" Sokka questioned before sharing a look with Katara who shrugged.

Zuko landed the bison by a cavern amongst a forest in the Earth Kingdom. Everyone disembarked the animal in confusion as Zuko lead his way to the door.

Shouts were coming from inside and as the door was opened it was clear why, there was a fight inside.

"And the reason you brought us to a seedy Earth Kingdom tavern is what now?" Katara questioned.

Zuko rose his arm and pointed at the middle of the kerfuffle. "June."

The bounty hunter who'd once ruined Zuko's ship was sitting at a table with a cup in her hand, her skin pale and flawless her hair dark and covering half of her face and the tattoo on her shoulder. She rose her leg to block a man running at her with his fist raised as she took a sip from her cup. She knocked his neck and pushed him down to her side, knocking his head onto the chair. She smirked at him before licking her lips.

"Oh yeah that weird bounty hunter with the giant mole." Sokka remembered

"Weird?" Freya asked as June got to her feet and spun out of the way of another man who punched through the table, at the same time he punched the other guys head. She moved to dodge his fist a second time, holding her steaming cup above her head.

"Mole? Her skin is flawless." Suki admitted confused.

"No, she has this giant mole creature she rides around on." Sokka explained as June beat up the guy one handed, twisting her way out of his reach.

"Her shirshu." Zuko said

"The shirshu has a paralytic tongue, get hit with it and your paralysed for an hour." Freya said

"It's the only animal that can track Aang's scent anywhere in the World. It's the one shot we have of finding him." Zuko believed.

June stepped back to dodge the blows from the bandit before she threw her cup up into the air above her. She dodged his fists, threw him over her head were he crashed into a table, causing it's occupants to run for cover. June looked up and grabbed her cup, the liquid falling back into it, before she took a sip.

Toph took a step forward as everyone looked at June in different ways. "I don't know who this June lady is but I like her." she declared grinning as June kicked her chair and sat back into it.

"'June' seems like way too kind a name for her in my opinion." Freya said thinking "'Rose' would work better, looks beautiful and innocent but is covered in thorns." she nodded and Zuko smirked but rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I remember her. She helped you attack us!" Sokka suddenly snapped at Zuko and Freya rolled her eyes.

"Yup, back in the good old days." Zuko said

"Hey it's also what got me back to you guys remember." Freya said as she followed Zuko, moving towards the women. She noticed Zuko easily.

"Oh great, it's Prince Pouty. Where's your creepy grandpa?" she asked

"Nice to see you too June." Freya sighed

"He's my Uncle, and he's not here." Zuko said glancing downwards. June blinked at him before glancing at Katara on his other side.

"I see you worked things out with your girlfriend." she said and both Katara and Zuko blushed and gapped.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!" Katara and Zuko both chorused, snapping at the women.

"Wow, so defensive." Freya teased earning a glare from them both as June took a sip from her cup and Katara had her hands on her hips.

"Okay, okay, sheesh. I was only teasing." June muttered "So what you want?"

"I need your help finding the Avatar." Zuko admitted

"Hmph. Doesn't sound too fun." she said taking another sip and sounding bored.

Zuko looked at her angrily before he leaned toward her, his fists balled.

"Does the end of the World sound like more fun?" he demanded.

"Zuko, take a chill," Freya said, placing a hand on Zuko's arm. She turned back to June.

"The Fire Lord is gonna destroy the Earth Kingdom unless you help us, so, feel free to back out and kill everyone." she said shrugging and crossing her arms.

June stared at her before she sighed and got to her feet. Zuko looked at Freya who gave him a smirk before they followed the bounty hunter outside of the tavern. Appa and June's Shirshu were facing off one another, growling angrily before Appa licked the shirshu's face. They both lowered to the ground and stared at one another before they turned to the tavern. June was leading the way over to the two beasts before she paused and held up a piece of meat.

"Nyla…" she waved it tauntingly before throwing it to the beast. The Shirshu ran forward and gripped it in it's mouth, chewing and swallowing. June moved forward and grabbed the head of her Shirshu. "Who's my little snuffly wuffly." she pat it's head before he snapped it's jaw and whipped it's tongue. "Whoa! Careful there." June said ducking and then pushing down on the Shirshu's mouth. "Okay, whose got something with the Avatar's scent on it." she held her hand out for it while Katara climbed into Appa's saddle.

"I have Aang's staff." she called before sliding down the bison's side. Katara handed it to June, who held it in her hands for her Shirshu to sniff at. The Shirshu smelt the air and began to walk around, it paused here and there, sniffing but simply walked in circles around the group and past Appa as they all watched. It paused in front of June who still held the staff, sniffing the air before it suddenly dropped down to it's belly and covering it's nose with its paws.

"Well, what does that mean?" Zuko asked crossing his arms.

"It means your friend's gone." June said as she kneeled and pet her Shirshu's head.

"We know he's gone, that's why we're trying to find him." Toph reminded her

"No, I mean he's gone gone. He doesn't exist." June said causing the six to look surprised.

"Well we all know that's not right." Freya said raising an eyebrow. "We know he exists, are you sure your Nyla just can't follow the scent, or find the end of it?"

"My Shirshu can find it regardless." June said and Freya looked skeptical.

"What do you mean Aang doesn't exist?" Sokka demanded as June watched him patting her creature. "Do you mean he's... you know, dead?"

"Nope, we could find him if he were dead. Ah, it's a real head scratcher." June confessed "See ya." and she climbed onto her shirshu's back.

"Helpful, real helpful." Toph muttered

"Wait, I have another idea." Zuko walked forward toward the shirshu. "There's only one other person in this World who can help us face the Fire Lord. I'll be right back with a smell sample." he said to June.

"Someone else?" Katara asked turning to Freya.

"My best guess, Iroh." she said "He's Ozai's older brother, rightful Fire Lord of the Fire Nation and as we all know, on our side." Freya looked at Zuko as he was in the Bison's saddle. "But, I'm not sure if he could beat Ozai, or would choose to."

"So this isn't worth it?" Sokka asked

"No, Iroh always has something to help. He's good with words." Freya smiled as Zuko jumped down and suddenly held up a sandal. Everyone eyed it unsurely. It had flies flying around it as Zuko held as little of it as possible. Freya backed away from the saddle as Sokka, Katara and Suki all held their noses.

"You saved your Uncle's sweaty sandal?" Sokka questioned.

"I think it's kind of sweet." Toph smiled, crossing her arms. The Shirshu jumped toward Zuko, causing June to hold on tightly suddenly as Nyla sniffed at the sandal.

"Let's do this." June smirked before she yanked on the reins and the Shirshu turned before leaping off away from the tavern.

Freya blinked before she realised June was leaving them and turned to Appa, climbing onto his head. The other's realised too.

"Hey, wait up!" Zuko shouted as everyone climbed into the saddle and Freya flicked the reins.

"Yip, yip!" Appa slammed his tail and took off after the Shirshu.

It ran over the rocks and up the mountains. Peaks rose up around the bison as they flew over the shirshu, scuttling quickly over the ground. They continued even as the sun began to rise and the shirshu never stopped. Freya watched Nyla and June as she had the bison follow the Shirshu and she glanced around a few times. The land itself was unfamiliar however if they continued they'd eventually reach Ba Sing Se, and beyond that, the boarder.

 _Why would Iroh be this way?_ She wondered. _In the Earth Kingdom?_

It wasn't until the sun had set on the next day that they arrived at Ba Sing Se's wall. The gap that the Dai Li Agents had created in order to let the Fire Nation troops in sat straight ahead and they all came to a stop, the Shirshu scratching at the broken bricks, wanting to go further.

"We're going to Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked confused as he glanced at Freya who looked back at him with the same look on her face.

"Your Uncle's somewhere beyond the wall. Nyla's getting twitchy so he can't be too far." June said as she pulled the shirshu away from the rocks. "Good luck." she wished and then with a flick of the reins as he went running away from them all.

Freya and Zuko watched her before the prince turned to everyone else.

"It's been a long day. Let's camp and start our search again at dawn." he decided.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52:

Toph was the only one to have a tent, snoring with her face in the dirt as it was made of earth, while everyone else was asleep on Appa, Freya, Zuko and Katara on his legs and Suki and Sokka, the boy snoring away, on his tail.

Toph's snoring cut off and she pat the ground before her earth tent lowered down into the ground around her. Freya's eyes opened and she jumped as fire suddenly shot out and ran around the bison and earth bender. Appa was woken up by the occurrence and everyone was pushed off as he did.

They all stared at the fire as Freya and Zuko shared a look, ready to disperse it before there were two people standing on top of all the rocks by the gap in the wall. Both of them wore the same outfit, deep blue robes with large white collars, a faded design amongst them.

Freya looked at the two men surprised, one was Jeong Jeong and the other was Piandao, Sokka's sword master. Beside them rose two more old and familiar men, one was Bumi and the other was Pakku. Freya grinned at them.

"Well, look who's here." Bumi laughed, he was only one not wearing a robe, but a cape, his bare chest and green shorts underneath.

"Bumi!" Freya beamed before she slammed her hands down to shoot her upwards and the old man and he gladly caught her and accepted her hug. Katara and Sokka turned to grin at one another, Suki and Zuko not knowing any of the men and Toph only knowing Piandao. "What on earth are you doing here?"

He started snickering his snorting laugh at her use of words around an earth bender and Freya rolled her eyes. "Oh ha ha." she said before the earth bender grabbed the girl and jumped her back down to her friends, the other three men following. They stood in a line beside one another, grinning at the children.

"What's going on? We're surrounded by old people." Toph said confused, raising her arms into the air.

"Not just any old people. These are great masters and friends of ours." Katara explained as she walked over to Pakku. "Pakku." she bowed to him, her hands before her.

"It is respectful to bow to an old master," Pack said bowing back as Freya bowed to him as well. "But how about a hug for your new grandfather?" he grinned and Katara and Freya shared a smile as Sokka looked surprised.

"That's so exciting." Katara said throwing her arms out as Sokka screamed, his hands on his head. "You and GranGran must be so happy to have found each other again." she said hugging the man.

"I made her a new betrothal necklace and everything." Pack boasted.

"Aww," Freya said and Zuko rose an eyebrow.

"Does that mean I have to make you one?" he said and she looked at him surprised.

"What, you proposing?" she asked shocked, only earning a grin.

"Welcome to the family Gramp Gramp." Sokka grinned, hugging the man and clinging to Pakku.

"You can still just call me Pakku." Pakku said, pushing Sokka off.

"How about Grand Pakku?" Sokka offered grinning

"No." Pakku shot down.

"And this was Aang's first firebending teacher." Katara introduced for Zuko.

"Jeong Jeong." he introduced himself as the two bowed to one another.

"Master Piandao." Sokka greeted as Bumi grinned

"Hello, Sokka." Piandao smiled, bowing back as he held a sword in his hand.

"So wait, how do you all know each other?" Suki wondered

"All old people know each other don't you know that?" Bumi said as Piandao glanced at him smiling.

"We're all part of the same ancient secret society. A group that transcends the divisions of the 4 nations." Piandao said

"The Order of the White Lotus." Zuko said surprised and Piandao looked surprised. Freya looked at him confused

"That's the one." Bumi grinned popping in front of his fellow members before sliding away again.

"Lotus?" she gapped "The Lotus tile!" she turned to Sokka who's mouth dropped open as he looked at Piandao. "Wait, how do you know about this?" she asked Zuko.

"My Uncle, he used the help from the Order of the White Lotus to get us passage from the desert in the Earth Kingdom to Ba Sing Se." he explained and Freya looked surprised.

"Wow."

"The White Lotus has always been about philosophy, and beauty and truth." Jeong Jeong admitted. "About a month ago, a call went out that we were needed for something important."

"It came from a Grand Lotus, your Uncle, Iroh of the Fire Nation." Pakku admitted and Katara looked surprised as Zuko smiled.

"Well that's who we're looking for." Toph grinned

"Then we'll take you to him." Piandao promised before Bumi pushed him and Jeong Jeong apart looking suspicious.

"Wait, someone's missing from your group." he noticed "Someone very important." he paused dramatically. "Where's Momo?" Freya chuckled as Bumi was nose to nose with Sokka who blinked at him unsurely. Bumi caused the boy to bend backwards to try and avoid the close proximity.

"He's gone." he said before glancing to the side. "And so is Aang." he added

"Oh well, so long as they have each other I'm sure we have nothing to worry about." Bumi said as Sokka wove his arms around before stumbling backwards.

"You know this old man?" Zuko whispered to Freya.

"He's an old friend of Aang and mine from before we went under the ice." Freya confessed smiling "He's a hundred and thirteen years old, I think he's allowed to be a—"

"Mad old geazer?" Zuko offered

"Bumi's a mad genius thanks." she said crossing her arms stubbornly as the man in question cackled.

"Let's go." he decided before he stomped his foot and a pillar of earth shot up, shooting him into the air and over the rocks blocking the bottom of the gap in the wall. He laughed as he went soaring through the sky and Freya chuckled as the other's rose an eyebrow and the men sighed.

They all climbed over the rocks as Bumi landed a little ways on the other side as they all climbed down again.

Piandao lead the way through the path and through the outer fields of Ba Sing Se, Bumi behind him as they walked in single file, Appa bring up the rear.

"So Bumi, how did you end up escaping your imprisonment in Omashu?" Sokka wondered

"Yeah, last we saw you you were hanging from a statue in a metal coffin." Freya smirked.

"Escape? I didn't escape, everybody else escaped." he said raising his hands. "There I was, back in Omashu, waiting for just the right moment. I didn't know what or when but I knew I'd know it when I knew it. An eclipse. That would do it."

"And you could still earthbound despite the cage so getting out of the cage wasn't hard." Freya smiled

"Piece of cake." Bumi grinned. "The fire benders had no bending and I took back my city, getting rid of all those hideous machine buildings. The fire benders escaped."

"What about Ozai's statue?" Freya wondered

"That was the tip of the iceberg." he said before snorting and laughing.

"Wow, you took back your whole city all by yourself." Suki gushed.

"So what about you guys? Did you do anything interesting on the day of the eclipse?" Sokka, Freya and Zuko all shared a look.

"Nah." Zuko said

"No, not really." Sokka agreed.

"Beside invade the Fire Nation but," Freya shrugged and Bumi chuckled at her.

"Good on you Freya!"

"You can't be the only one to do something interesting." Freya smiled as they neared the inner wall of Ba Sing Se and below them appeared a heap of little tents in a camp, a few fires flickering here and there. The tents were barred off with a wall of earth but a path on the other side lead towards the wall. They stopped at the earth wall before Bumi pulled it down to let them through.

"Well, here we are. Welcome to old people camp." Bumi exclaimed as they all walked in. Zuko looked around at the tents.

"Where... where is he?" he asked, Piandao looking down at him.

"Your Uncle's in there, Prince Zuko." the sword master pointed to a large tent in the middle of the camp. Zuko looked at it before he lowered his head and the others all walked past him. He walked to the tent door and then stopped. He lowered his gaze and sat himself at the floor.

Freya and Katara shared a look before they moved up behind him.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked

"No, I'm not okay. My Uncle hates me, I know it." Zuko said looking at the door.

The two girls shared a look before crouching on either side of him.

"There's no way Iroh can hate you Zuko." Freya said to him, taking his hand in her's. "You're like a son to him remember."

"He loved me and supported me in every way he could and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?" Zuko questioned

"Well…" Freya began "You did the same to me." she reminded him as he turned to her. She placed a hand on his cheek. "And you were able to face me," she smirked "That's gotta be scarier than facing Iroh." Zuko smiled slightly before returning his gaze to the floor.

"Zuko, you're sorry for what you did, right?" Katara asked

"More sorry than I've been about anything in my entire life." Zuko admitted

"Then he'll forgive you. He will." She assured shrugging.

"Come on." Freya whispered getting to her feet, his hand still in her's and giving him a reassuring look. Zuko smiled up at her, tightening his hand on her's as she helped him to his feet before letting him take the step to the tent. He paused at the entrance, took a deep breath and moved the fabric aside to step in, pulling Freya with him as he did.

"Uncle." he looked down, unable to meet the man's eyes before a snore emanated from before them. Freya chuckled as Zuko looked up and they saw Iroh, laying in his bed with his back to them and snoring as he slept. Zuko smiled softly before he sat himself down in the middle of the tent on a rug. He turned to Freya and she smiled before sitting beside him and hooking her arm through his, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Thanks for coming with me Freya." he said

"Any time." she whispered.

It was a few hours before the sun began to rise outside the tent Freya had dozed off beside Zuko as he'd waited for Iroh to awaken. She awoke too when his snores stopped and Zuko looked up, raising his head from the top of her's, the change waking her. Iroh stretched before them as Freya opened her eyes and rubbed them, the movement drawing the old general's attention. He glanced at them before turning his gaze away, keeping his back to them. Zuko looked at him and the single action caused him to look down guiltily and disappointed with himself. Freya waited for him to find his words, not saying anything herself.

"Uncle, I know you must have mixed feelings about seeing me. But I want you to know, I'm so so sorry, Uncle." Zuko's voice cracked and his eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm so sorry and ashamed of what I did." the tears flowed down his cheeks now and Freya looked at him distraught, she'd never seen him cry before. "I don't know how I can ever make it up to you but I'll…" Freya leaned back as Iroh turned and suddenly yanked Zuko into a hug, away from Freya and holding him close. Zuko was cut off and surprised by the occurrence, blinking as Freya smiled. Iroh was crying as well and he smiled ever so slightly at having his nephew back.

"How can you forgive me so easily? I thought you would be furious with me." Zuko confessed

"I was never angry with you. I was sad because I was afraid you lost your way."

"I did lose my way." Zuko said as they parted and Iroh placed his hands on Zuko's shoulders.

"But you found it again. And you did it by yourself."

Zuko smiled and glanced to Freya. "Maybe not all by myself."

"No, you found your way to me too remember, no one helped you leave the Fire Nation." she said

"But you helped me see I had to, long before I did." he said before he reached to pull her forward toward them. Iroh smiled at her before pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you for looking after my nephew." he whispered

"Someone had to." she smiled. He pulled back and placed a hand on her cheek before looking at the two.

"I am so happy you found your way here." he said before Zuko hugged them both.

"It wasn't that hard, Uncle. You have a pretty strong scent."


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53:

Everyone sat down for breakfast in a circle outside Iroh's tent, Sokka had changed into his battle gear, the water tribe warrior uniform casing his shoulders. Piandao handed everyone a bowl as Iroh sat with the children, the sun rising behind them as the other members of the White Lotus sat in circles and groups around eating as well. They told him how Aang was missing when he realised the avatar was not around.

"Uncle, you're the only person other than the Avatar who can possibly defeat the Father Lord." Zuko said and Freya scoffed, almost choking on her food as she laughed slightly, placing a hand over her mouth as she swallowed her food and snickered.

"You mean the Fire Lord." Toph corrected as Zuko turned from Freya on one side of him to her on the other, the earth bender pointing her chopsticks at the prince.

"That's what I just said." Zuko snapped at her

"Hmm…" Iroh though, gaining their attention again.

"We need you to come with us." Zuko thought determined.

"No, Zuko. It won't turn out well." Iroh believed

"You can beat him and we'll be there to help." Zuko said turning to the others.

"Even if I did defeat Ozai, and I don't know that I could." He confessed raising an eyebrow "It will be the wrong way to end the war. History would see it as just more senseless violence, a brother killing a brother to grab power. The only way for this war to end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the Fire Lord." Iroh believed, Zuko glanced at Freya and she had a look that said she agreed, causing the boy to think.

"And then… then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?" Zuko wondered

"No. Someone new must take the throne." he said turning to Zuko. "An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honour. It has to be you, Prince Zuko." Freya smiled as Zuko looked surprised

"Unquestionable honour?" he asked

"Someone who cares about their nation, puts that before anyone, doesn't cling to power. Someone who spends all he can just trying to return to his home." Freya smiled

"But I've made so many mistakes." Zuko said shrugging in admittance.

"Yes, you have. You struggled, you suffered but you have always followed your own path, you restored your own honour. And only you can restore the honour of the Fire Nation." Uncle believed

"Making mistakes means you've learnt more, and you have the experience to do what's right." Freya said "You can't learn from mistakes if you don't make them." Zuko turned to Iroh as he nodded.

"We both believe, and always have, that you would be the one to save the Fire Nation." Iroh said as Freya nodded in agreement.

"I'll try, Uncle."

"Well," Toph began, causing Sokka beside her to turn to her "What if Aang doesn't come back?"

"Sozin's Comet is arriving and our destinies are upon us. Aang will face the Fire Lord."

"Aang knows his duty." Freya said "He left the world for a hundred years, and this distraught him, remember thats why he allowed that Earth Kingdom General to try and force him into the Avatar state. And he ran away after Ba Sing Se because he was angry and disappointed in himself for failing again. He wont do it a third time." Freya assured "Trust in Aang, he knows his destiny." Iroh nodded

"When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day take Ba Sing Se. Only now do I see that my destiny is to take it _back_ from the Fire Nation so the Earth Kingdom can be free again." Iroh admitted

"That's why you gathered the members of the White Lotus." Suki realised

"Yes. Zuko, you must return to the Fire Nation so that when the Fire Lord falls, you can assume the throne and restore peace and order." Iroh said to him "But Azula will be there, waiting for you." The Prince frowned.

"I can handle Azula." he believed confidently

"Not alone." Iroh said and Zuko looked startled. "You'll need help."

"You're right." and he turned to Freya. She looked up at him and they held a look, as if having a conversation, before she smiled.

"Well, after telling you you were the one to save the Fire Nation and become Fire Lord I think it's only appropriate I help put you on that throne." she said smiling, earning a chuckle from Zuko and a smile from Iroh who nodded.

"What about us?" Sokka wondered "What's our destiny today?"

"What do you think it is?" Iroh wondered smiling.

Sokka put his hand on his chin in thought. "I think that… even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to do everything we can to stop the airship fleet." Sokka believed

"And that means when Aang does face the Fire Lord, we'll be right there if he needs us." Toph grinned.

"It just means we'll be splitting up." Freya said looking at the others. "If you're going to stop that Air fleet, I doubt you'd get to the Fire Nation before they left. If Ozai wants to be at the Earth Kingdom by this evening, he likely has already left." Sokka nodded as she looked at him. "You'll have to meet them halfway."

"Where?" Toph questioned

"I'd suggest the edge of the Earth Kingdom, they have to cross that shore to get here to Ba Sing Se. If you stop them there, then minimal damage can be done." she said

"I doubt you'll have to worry about that." Iroh said "There is a base between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom that the fleet may stop at." Iroh said

"Then that's where you're best to board one and do some damage, before they even reach the Earth Kingdom." Freya said and Sokka nodded.

"We just now need to figure out how to stop the air fleet." Sokka said thinking

"I find that bending their rudders, or cutting off their propellers work." Freya said. "The mechanism is mostly all outside as well, just shove something had in there to jam it."

"Wish us luck." Katara said "You seem able to blow them up rather well, we might have a challenge without you there." Freya chuckled

"I will admit, fighting Azula sounds easier than taking out the Air ship fleet. But you've got Toph, and she can bend metal now."

"We'll take them down!" Sokka grinned

"If we can figure out how to get there to intercept them." Toph said "If Freya and Zuko are going to the Fire Nation, they'll need Appa."

"Do not worry about that, we have something here that you can use." Iroh assured.

Toph and Suki rose up into the air as the Eel hound got to it's feet and the two clung on, Toph with her eyes closed unsurely. Sokka and Katara stood beside it with Piandao who glanced up at the two before turning to Sokka, who now had his warrior helmet on his head.

"Nothing runs faster over land or swims quicker than a giant eel-hound." Piandao handed Sokka a scroll. "The airship base is on a small island just off the Earth Kingdom shore." he said as Sokka unrolled and looked at the map. "You should be able to intercept the fleet within a day's journey." he said as Sokka rolled the scroll back up.

"Thank you, Master." before they bowed at one another and Sokka helped Katara up onto the Eel-hound, Suki taking her hand and lifting her up before Sokka hugged Piandao.

"Good luck." Freya said placing a hand on Sokka's shoulder and turning to Katara. "Be careful."

"You too." Sokka said before he hugged her

"Tell Aang he's in trouble for disappearing when you see him." Freya smirked and the three girls nodded, Suki and Katara chuckling slightly before Freya walked over to Appa, he was standing adjacent to the Eel-hound with Zuko at the head and Pakku, Bumi and Jeong Jeong beside him with Iroh. Freya hugged Bumi before she climbed her way up beside Zuko, brushing Appa's fur as she did and the old men waved at them.

"So if I'm going to be Fire Lord after the war is over, what are you going to do?" Zuko asked Iroh who stood at the bison's head.

"After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, I'm going to re-conquer my tea shop," He flicked his lotus tile into the air, catching it again. "And I'm going to play Pai Sho everyday." He grinned and Freya chuckled

"That seems like a good reason to come back to Ba Sing Se." she said.

Zuko turned to Sokka who nodded to him and the girls all shared a look as well.

"Goodbye, General Iroh." Katara said, causing the man to turn to the Eel-hound and smile at them.

"Goodbye, everyone." he turned back to Zuko and Freya. "Today, destiny is our friend. I know it."

With a final look, Sokka turned the Eel-hound and in a flurry of dust it shot off away from the camp. Zuko flicked the reins and Appa launched into the air with a flap of his tail, leaving the camp behind. Freya grabbed Zuko's arm and leaned around the Bison to wave and watch it go before she sat herself back down.

"So Fire Lord, you ready?" she asked with a smirk and he smirked back at her.

"You're gonna stay with me?"

"I'm not gonna let Azula beat you to a pulp or fry you to a crisp." Freya assured. "If you want my help, I'll always give it." she said

"What about after I'm Fire Lord?"

"You gonna banish me from the nation?" she asked with a raised eyebrow

"No, of course not!"

"Then why should it matter if you're Fire Lord or not?" she wondered. He looked down at her as she waited for an answer. He glanced downwards.

"If I need your advice,"

"All you have to do is ask. Though, I don't know if I can help much with Royal decisions…" she muttered unsurely "I hardly know what happened in the last hundred years and I don't know much about politics. Opinions I can easily do."

"I've seen you and Sokka discussing strategies, and you've helped me through tough times even when I didn't know I needed it." he smiled

"Doesn't mean I'm good at helping rule a nation." she mumbled "I think an advisor would be much better."

"Aang's twelve and the avatar and having to make decisions about the world." he reminded her smiling

"Hardly any of those he made himself. Roku told us to defeat Ozai before the comet and the Water Tribe planned the defence for the Siege on the North pole and the Earth King planned the invasion followed by Sokka abbreviating it." she said shrugging "He's been advised on what to do and the little things are kind of different." she defended

"You don't think you have what it takes to rule a nation?" Zuko asked smirking "You think I'd be better."

"I think you've got the background knowledge on how to. You gonna tell me your father never forced those kinds of study on you? I think if you need anyone it should be to be told when you're being stupid or stubborn." she admitted

"Well, what better a job for you?" Zuko shrugged. Freya smirked

"Would I get in trouble for beating the Fire Lord when he'd being senseless?" she asked and Zuko rolled his eyes.

"If it means you'll stay."

"Do I need a reason to have to be in the palace?" she wondered

"I'm sure you wont." he said, placing an arm around her waist and pulling her slightly closer. "The Fire Lord shouldn't need a reason to see this girlfriend."

"Girlfriend huh? Since when?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

He gazed back at her smiling slightly. "If you'll have me."

Freya opened her mouth before the black sky turned red and the two turned. Behind them it looked like the sun was rising. Freya felt warmth inflate her as she stared at the light and the entire ocean below them turned the same red orange as the sky. The two fire benders shared a look, slightly worried.

"I've never felt such heat before." Freya mumbled placing a hand on her chest. She closed her eyes. "Can you feel it?" she asked

"Yeah, it's Sozin's comet." he admitted before he turned back to look ahead of them. He turned to comet again before looking down at the bison's fur.

"What's wrong?" Freya asked as she watched him.

"I'm worried about Aang. What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my Father? What if he loses?" Zuko worried

"First of all, it isn't about guts to take out the Fire Lord." Freya said "That goes against Aang's soul, the better question would be whether he found an alternative." she said "As to whether he looses, I truly doubt he will. He knows what's at stake, and for a thirteen year old, he's a very powerful bender if you hadn't noticed." she smiled

"What if he doesn't come back? What if something happened to him?"

"He's fine." Freya said

"How do you know?"

"Because when Azula shot Aang, I felt his pain." she said and he turned to her surprised. "I don't know why I felt the lightning strike, but my body reacted to it as if I had been hit. I don't know if it was a one time thing but I doubt it. And if he was hurt, I'd know." she said confidently.

"For now, let's just concentrate on Azula." she said and he nodded.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54:

Flying past the blockade had become a simple matter after doing so often and they passed it without an issue. The bison then began to divert to the side to avoid Azulon's Gates. They then continued to the volcano and to the Palace city.

Freya looked around at the grounds as they flew past, a frown on her face.

"Ozai must have taken many people with him to the Earth Kingdom, the city almost looks as abandoned as during the eclipse." she said.

"Look." Zuko said. Freya turned back to the palace city as they angled around from the front and to the courtyard beside it. It was empty, however on the podium there were several people. Five Fire Sages, and one other.

Freya looked surprised. Azula was kneeling before the Fire Sages but she looked… undone. Freya and Zuko shared a look as the Fire Sage rose his hands, the fire lord head crest in his hands ready to crown Azula. Azula's hair was a mess, strands hung down around her ears and the bangs siding her face were uneven, as if she'd taken a pair of scissors and hacked at it. There was something about her eyes as well, Freya pursed her lips as they approached closer.

"By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you Fire Lord…" the Fire Sages all noticed the Bison and cut off his decree. Azula turned to the man holding her head peace.

"What are you waiting for? Do it!" she demanded before Appa growled and Azula turned. They flew over the buildings and Zuko landed the beast in the courtyard.

"Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today." he said as the two stood up. "I am." he declared, jumping off the bison's head.

Azula laughed as Freya slid down the bison behind Zuko. "You're hilarious." she said.

"And you're going down." Freya said amused as she walked up beside Zuko.

The sage moved the head piece forward to finish crowning Azula before she held her hand up to stop him.

"Wait." he did before she got to her feet. "You want to be Fire Lord Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!" Azula declared.

Freya pursed her lips and looked at Zuko who grit his teeth. He released the strain in his jaw to glance at Freya fleetingly.

"You're on." he declared and Azula smiled.

"Are you sure?" Freya asked "She is playing you. She knows she can't take us both so she wants to separate us." she warned, crossing her arms.

"I know. But I can take her this time. Can you see it? There's something off about her, I can't explain it but she's slipping." he admitted

"Yes, I can see it." she agreed. "Something's wrong with her." she agreed and they shared a look, agreeing silently.

Azula dismissed the fire sages and Freya turned to Appa, moving him from the courtyard as Zuko walked to the other end of it. Freya walked along the side of the courtyard to move out of the way and glanced around. The courtyard was lined by rectangular ponds, filled with water. Beyond these were covered pathways.

Azula descended the stairs as the bison flew off. The two siblings stood at either end of the courtyard before kneeling. They had their backs to one another for a moment before they both stood and turned to one another. Zuko rose his hands and took his stance while Azula removed the cape she'd had around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, _brother_." she said she held her arm out and dropped the cape on the floors, smirking at Zuko,

"No, you're not." he knew

She swayed, rolling her weight from one side to the other before rising her hands and taking her stance. Freya narrowed her eyes, Azula looked as if she was disorientated, like she couldn't hold her weight or stand straight. Her head rolled on her shoulders and her legs made her body sway though her feet stayed steady.

Azula struck first.

She spun around and shot her fist into the air for blue fire to shoot at Zuko. It filled half the courtyard and flared everywhere due to the comets influence. Zuko stepped forward and swung his arms together for fire to flare in front of him like a barrier. The orange and blue collided and flared across the entire courtyard and up into the air, the streams being sent from the two benders.

It dispersed as Azula shot herself forward in a flurry of fire to bring her foot down and send a blast at her brother. She spun around for an arc to follow it before sending a second, a third and another stream. Zuko blocked, dodged, dispersed before he moved forward and sent the attacks back.

The orange and blue fire collided and sprayed out all around the side of the palace. The fires flared past the courtyard, their intensity causing the building and houses around to catch alight. Freya moved to pull the fires from them, to stop the two benders from burning down the palace city and people's homes.

The two were rather well matched so far, Zuko stood his ground but Azula moved around, fraying from side to side and trying to get a blow in at Zuko, who blocked and countered everything she sent.

Zuko shot a stream at Azula who did the same before she took a step to the side and the two streams shot off beside them both. Freya saw Zuko's back foot slipping slightly as he was being pushed back.

The two fire streams dispersed and Azula turned to see the shrine building behind her on fire, Zuko's blast having just missed her. She glared at her brother before she jumped, fire shooting from one of her feet to send her into the air before she turned and the stream plummeted down to the ground and towards Zuko. He turned around and shot his hands out either side and his fire shot out before him and split Azula's leaving a trench between the two benders, fire rising up on either side.

Azula stood crouched on the floor, panting, as she stared at her brother who stood and rose his hands. Unlike his sister he hadn't exerted nearly as much energy as she looked at him angrily. Zuko shot his hand forwards and two streams of fire, twirling around one another went shooting at his sister. She widened her eyes before jumping to the side, just missing it as fire shot from her foot to give her the extra boost. The blue fire shot out before her as she went shooting along the ground and towards Zuko. She shot her hand forward and Zuko rose himself into the air in a shot of flames below him to avoid her blue blast. He swung his foot to block the next and swung his hands down to split the third and send a blast at Azula. She dodged it, still racing down the courtyard towards him and curved around as Zuko turned. Zuko surrounded himself to block her before shooting at her for her to dodge. He shot another but she continued to skid around on her blue flames. She circled around him again and he shot a stream after her, causing her to continue to run. He stopped before getting to the floor and swinging his legs around, turning on his back and fire went flying all around him in arcs, crescents and circles.

Azula rose her hand to block but she was thrown forward, causing her to hit the ground and tumble along it. She gasped as she went rolling away from Zuko. Freya stepped forward, watching her with narrowed eyes, wondering whether she'd get up and continue, or if that would cause a final strand.

Azula's messy hair had come out of it's bun as she got back to her feet, bent over herself, her hair covering her face. She panted as she looked up through the strands.

"No lightning, today? What's the matter? Afraid I'll re-direct it?" Zuko demanded as he rose his hands.

"Oh, I'LL SHOW YOU LIGHTNING!" Azula shouted angrily. She swirled her hands, fingers pointed and the lightning cracked and cackled, sparking around her. Zuko took a breath, raising her hands before he held one out ready.

Azula rose her hand, the lighting sparking around her before her eyes moved from Zuko to Freya behind him. Azula smirked shot the lightning off at Freya.

Freya smirked and she shot her palm forwards as Zuko gapped and turned to Freya behind him. She gripped her fist as the lightning struck at her before she spun around, slammed her foot down and slammed her fist forward.

It wasn't a strike of lightning that shot back but a streaming blast, thick and devastating. Azula gasped as Zuko jumped backwards to avoid the pieces shooting off of it and the princess leaped sideways, tumbling along the floor as the building behind her was blasted apart.

"Guess who just broke the rules of engagement of an Agni Kai!" Freya shouted. She thrust her hands upwards and water went shooting all out of the ponds and with a wave her hands the icicles went shooting at the princess.

Azula surrounded herself in blue fire as Freya shot her hands down and Zuko looked surprised as Freya shot past him in a flurry of white fire.

Azula turned to Freya before she started cackling, stumbling around on her feet before she ran at the girl. Freya jumped up and rounded her hands for all the white fire behind her to spring forward in front of her and shoot downward at Azula. Blue fire shot from Azula's feet and rocks flew everywhere as Freya's attack hit the ground and broke into it.

Freya shot sideways through the air as blue fire shot from Azula and Freya spun and wove her hands for water to rush up and Azula punched her hand forward and blue fire shot at the middle but the water parted around the fire, causing it to miss, and the princess gasped as the liquid reached her and then swirled around her before freezing.

Freya landed to the ground before she began to round her hands and lighting sparked around her. Azula's eyes widened from inside the frozen ball before she managed to grip her fists and fire flared for the ice to smash apart. Freya shot her hand forward and Azula jumped sideways to avoid the lightning.

"You thought that cheating and shooting me with lightning was smart! It was cowardice and stupid!" Freya shouted as she shot after Azula who arced to the side to avoid her. "You forget! I'm a fire bender too!" Freya said before water swirled up around her and Azula, encasing the two girls and stopping the princess from being able to slide out of the way of the fire blast Freya prepared to send next. Azula looked surprised before Freya suddenly looked like she'd been bashed in the back and her fire and water all vanished. She gasped, both in pain and surprise.

Zuko looked at her confused as Azula did the same unsurely before she took advantage of Freya's sudden hesitation and smashed her fist forward.

"Freya!" Zuko shouted.

Freya suddenly released a breath, as if she'd been holding one in and a weight seemed to lift from her shoulders. She closed her eyes and regained her posture before fire flared out from around her feet and it arced upwards, curving over the top of her and encasing her in a dome. Azula's fire was stopped by the white flames and the fire began to spin around Freya before it shot outwards from her. Zuko rose his arms across his face as the heat shot over him while Azula was blown off her feet.

Freya stood still for a moment as her hair settled before she looked up with a smirk. Freya wove her arms and the water that had pooled around Azula shot from behind her, causing Azula to launch herself up into the air before Freya swirled her arms and lightning went shooting at the princess. Azula blocked it with blue fire but she was sent flying backwards and into one of the roofs with a cry as the collision exploded before her.

"Say Azula, what happened to your so called friends?" Freya asked loudly as Azula sat up. "You all alone or something?" Azula grit her teeth growling at the girl. She wove her hands for lightning to spark before shooting it at Freya who simply twirled out of the way. "What happened? Did Ty Lee decide Mai was better? Are they both locked up because they left you?" she asked dodging some more. "And why didn't you go with daddy dearest? As if he left you here by yourself while he went to initiate your plan without you."

Azula cried out in anger before she rose her hands and a large stream of fire shot down upon Freya. She wove her arms and Azula's fire was split as Freya rose her's and white fire shot up along the ground towards the princess, who flew sideways in a flurry of blue flames while the roof where she'd been standing exploded.

"I wonder how Zuko, who once had nothing, ended up with everything and you ended with nothing!" Freya shouted.

Azula screamed before she went shooting head on at Freya. Freya watched as the princess rose her fist and punched it forwards. Freya ducked and sidestepped, twirling in avoidance before she reached up and grabbed Azula's wrist. The princess looked shocked as suddenly from below her water began to rise up, having been puddled all over the floor. Azula's body was bing incased and two streams grabbed both her wrists, allowing Freya to release the princess. Azula's arms were yanked behind her back and iced together, the ice travelling all up her arms. Azula struggled against the rising water as Freya turned and walked away from her. The Princess continued to struggle as Zuko walked over to Freya, who was looking around the courtyard.

"What are you doing?"

"She's not gonna stop unless we tie her down." Freya said obviously before there was an explosion behind the two and Azula broke from the water casing. Zuko stepped forward to disperse the fire before Freya grabbed his wrist and pulled him with her. She moved over the water lake, surfing over the water with Zuko's hand in her's before they slid to the other side. Azula chased them, blasting fire from her feet to jump the water and she went shooting straight at them in a fit of rage. Freya turned and water shot up from the grate beneath the three to surround the princess in ice. Zuko blinked, looking down to see water rushing below them before the duo bender turned and grabbed chains hanging on one of the pillars behind them. She then moved for the ice and it melted around her as she walked through and tied Azula's hands together. She then tied them to the grate below and with a slam of her hands downwards the water all went rushing back into the stream below. Azula coughed and spluttered before Freya pulled the chains tighter.

Zuko and Freya moved around to Azula's head as water dripped from her enraged face and hacked at hair. She glared at them, panting angrily before she screamed and blue fire went shooting from her mouth. Zuko and Freya ducked before moving out of the way. She continued to do it, breathing fire, unable to use her hands until she collapsed to the side in her derangement. Lying on her side and unable to move she started full on wailing.

Freya and Zuko shared a shocked look, slightly worried.

"What happened to her?" Zuko asked

"She was left alone." Freya whispered. "Your mother left, Mai left, Ty Lee left and then her father left her alone. I guess, it broke her." she muttered. Zuko looked at Freya and then back at Azula.

"Thanks Freya."

"I'm sure you could have taken her." Freya shrugged

"I almost thought you couldn't, what happened to you?" he asked confused but Freya smiled.

"My guess is Aang received quite the blow." Freya admitted

"Aang?" she nodded

"It was the exact same place where he was struck by lightning that I felt a shock ring through me." she rubbed her back but unable to reach the spot.

She then glanced upward at the sky. "I just hope he's doing alright."

Zuko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry." she smiled and nodded. Zuko placed a hand on her cheek and she gave him a questioning look.

"You know, if not for you and Uncle," he turned to Azula "That could have been me."

"No." she said "This," she said as Azula wailed "Will be a build up of things, and I think when Mai helped you above her at The Boiling Rock, something snapped." Freya placed a hand on his cheek, caressing it in return. "You wouldn't have turned out this way, because unlike Azula, you resisted Ozai's influence." she whispered.

She turned to look back at him and smiled. "Congratulations Zuko, you helped save the world."

"No Freya, you helped save me." he said and she shrugged in agreement before grinning.

Zuko faced her, placing both hands on her face and brushing her cheeks with his thumbs before he leaned down and kissed her. Freya placed a hand around his neck and he around her waist to pull her closer.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55:

The comet passed over the sky, a fire ball disappearing beyond the horizon and as it did the sky's redness faded away and the dark sky returned. Stars twinkled beyond the few clouds, which flanked the path the comet had taken.

Zuko and Freya looked at the sky as a wind blew before sharing a look.

"Should we head to see what happened?" Freya wondered before turning back in the direction of the Earth Kingdom. "Or wait for news to reach us?"

They stood at the door of the palace, which was open behind them. Azula had dismissed everyone in the palace apparently, banishing them all and so no guards came to remove the two. It also meant they'd had to leave Azula tied up where she was for the minute, as there was no one to cart her away.

"I don't know." Zuko admitted "But this is the place where right has to be made."

Freya smiled at him. "It's also where you need to be crowned Fire Lord." He smiled back before the girl thought. "I don't suppose you have a messenger hawk lying around?"

There was a growl and the two turned to see Appa approaching them. Freya stepped forwards and the bison landed before her so she could pet his nose.

"Don't worry Appa, Aang's alright. We'll see him soon." she assured.

She turned to Zuko slightly unsure and he turned to the sky as well.

The two benders and the bison didn't move from the palace doors. Night moved on as they waited, wondering before a noise filled the sky. The two looked at one another before getting to their feet, as they'd been sitting on the pavement. It came over the volcano wall of the Palace city and then lowered down before the two, blowing their hair apart as they covered their faces.

It was an airship and the two shared a look before it came to a complete halt and one of the doors opened, the ramp leading down to the ground.

Katara, Suki, Toph and Sokka walked down the ramp, Sokka's leg was bandaged and he was being supported by Suki and his sister. Behind them came Aang, with Momo on his shoulder. He only wore pants, his top seemed to have been singed away and Freya ran forwards to engulf him in a hug.

She pulled back and looked him over before she placed her hands on her hips angrily.

"Where have you been!?" she demanded "Who said you could run off on a moving island by yourself!"

"It wasn't an island Freya, it was a lion turtle!" Aang said and she looked momentarily stunned for a moment before she hit her forehead.

"Lion Turtle! Of course!" she said earning chuckles behind her "Alright, who said you could board a Lion Turtle alone!"

"Sorry Freya."

"You should be! And getting bashed in the back like that, what were you thinking!?" Aang blinked at her before he smiled and she huffed.

Zuko walked forward, placing a hand on Freya's shoulder before turning to Aang.

"What happened?" he asked carefully.

"Aang won!" Sokka cheered.

Freya and Zuko shared a look before turning back to Aang.

"And Ozai?" Freya wondered carefully

"I didn't kill him." Aang said "I couldn't."

"So?" Freya said as Zuko looked unsure.

"I took away his bending instead."

The two were momentarily speechless.

"Lion turtle?" Freya asked and he nodded. She grinned. "See, I knew a solution would present itself." she shrugged

"Don't you understand?" Katara asked "The war's over."

"Hey you didn't even ask how we faired." Freya said annoyed and Katara looked at Sokka before smiling.

"How'd you go Freya?" she asked

"She whooped Azula's ass." Zuko smiled

"Durr." Freya said, earning a laugh.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind but we brought some things back with us." Sokka said and he hopped over to the air ship and knocked on the wood. The two fire benders looked surprised as Fire Nation troops began to disembark from the airship, many more than the thing looked like it could hold.

"We broke all the airships, so we sort of owed them a ride." Suki said

"And they just, let you command the thing?" Freya asked quietly.

"Well, with their Fire Lord defeated and Aang giving them a speech about no longer fighting they kind of did." Katara confessed.

The group all watched as everyone stared at Zuko before one by one the troops began to bow. Zuko blinked at them all before he looked at Freya.

"All hail Fire Lord Zuko." she said and the troops all mimicked her.

"We should get started on a few things." Zuko said

"Like freeing War Prisoners." Freya said turning to Katara and Sokka. "Sending messengers, retrieving troops from the Earth Kingdom, and begin the preparation for your coronation." Freya smiled.

Zuko nodded before he grinned. "And you didn't think you'd be cut out for this."

"That wasn't exactly politics." she mumbled, earning a grin.

Zuko gave a few short instructions to begin with. One was to remove Azula to a mental institute where she could be taken care of after her breakdown. Another was to send messengers to all fleets, troops, armies and nations about what had happened. Zuko personally addressed one to his Uncle for Ba Sing Se.

After that, everyone was given a room in the palace and rest was allowed. Fire Nation Troops included.

By the following morning, news had spread about Fire Lord Ozai being defeated and the new Fire Lord in the form of Zuko was to be crowned. Further more Zuko sent out an invitation to the two other nations, Water and Earth in a declaration that he was stopping the war and wanting them present for this announcement at his coronation.

Freya found herself standing at one of the balconies, looking down the courtyard below where the three nations, Water, Earth and Fire stood in waiting. She smiled as she watched Fire Nation talk with the Water and Earth nation people, as they mingled among one another.

Freya turned and walked through the palace, Katara and Sokka were amongst those in the courtyard with Toph, Suki and many others, including the invasion team who'd been released and hopefully Hakoda who'd arrived with others. Aang was within the palace somewhere, she knew, but none of them were the ones she wanted to talk to.

Zuko was in a large room with the entire side open as he was looking down at the subjects below. She leaned on the doorway, he had yet to get dressed or ready for his coronation.

"Strange sight isn't it." she said, drawing his attention to her. He turned as she walked forward, looking over the balcony. "Earth Kingdom and Water tribe citizens in the Fire Nation. Even I haven't seen something like this before."

"I kind of like it." Zuko said

"Me too." she nodded before she turned to him. "You might want to think about getting ready though instead of watching them." she said glancing over his bare torso. "You've got a robe to put on an your hair to do." she flicked a piece by his eye.

"Is that what you came here to tell me?" he asked smirking

"Pretty much, it's almost time." she shrugged "Good thing I did decide to remind you too." he rolled his eyes before she turned for the door, she paused though and turned. He was still watching her.

"I'm proud of you Zuko." she said and he smiled.

Freya left the room and made her way back down the hall to head to the courtyard. She smiled as she turned a corner before she stopped.

Mai was standing in the corridor before her.

"Mai." she said surprised "You're out of prison."

"Well, with Azula no longer in charge my Uncle was able to pull some strings." she said and Freya nodded.

"I'm glad." she stepped toward her. "I wanted to thank you for what you did at The Boiling Rock. I know it wasn't me or my friends you did it for, but it really was a big help." Freya confessed.

"Someone had to save Zuko." she said simply, her usual lack of emotion coating her face. Freya nodded simply.

"Speaking of, have you seen Zuko?"

"Z—" Freya stopped and looked at Mai, somewhat frozen for a moment.

She stared at the girl before she bit her tongue and took a breath. Her chest ached as she remembered Mai, in the cell of The Boiling Rock. She knew how much Mai cared for Zuko, even if she didn't really show it.

Freya glanced to the side before turning back to Mai. "He's around the corner, a room to your left." she said before smiling, trying to hide the sadness she felt. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you, and glad to know you're safe." she said before walking around the girl, her smile dropping as she did.

Mai watched her before she stopped the duo bender. "Freya." Freya looked at her surprised, turning. She hadn't thought Mai had known her name, "I think I owe you thanks too." Mai continued when Freya was too surprised to speak. "You looked after Zuko these last few weeks right?" she asked "You were with him as a guard while he was a prisoner in the Boiling Rock. You helped him escape."

"I helped him break in first." she admitted "But I didn't do anything I didn't want to. You don't need to thank me, for the last few weeks, or earlier in the year… Someone had to watch out for him." she smiled "I don't think I did anything much different than you would." she said. "I wish you luck Mai." she said before she backed away and turned, leaving the pale girl in the corridor.

Mai watched Freya leave before she turned and walked down the hall following the girl's instructions. Zuko was pulling on his red robe.

"You haven't even done your hair yet." she said, causing him to turn to her as he had one arm in his robe. He smiled at her.

"Mai! You're ok. They let you out of prison?" she moved to his side, picking up the other arm of his robe and Zuko slipped his arm through it.

"My uncle pulled some strings," she tied the band around his waist for him "And it doesn't hurt when the new Fire Lord is your boyfriend."

Zuko looked surprised by the allegation and he looked at the doorway in which Freya had moved through.

"So does this mean you don't hate me anymore?" he asked carefully.

"I think it means… I actually kind of like you." she said blushing slightly. He smiled as she placed a hand on his cheek before he reached up to it. Zuko looked at Mai before he lowered his gaze, and she noticed, especially when he removed her hand from his face.

"Mai…" he cut off and she took a step back. "I'm sorry I ever hurt you, I didn't want to, and I was happy with you and I did like you but…"

There was silence for a minute as Zuko tried to think how to continue.

"But you like Freya more." Zuko looked at Mai surprised.

"You…" Zuko's forehead furrowed. "How…?"

"When we were in The Boiling Rock, you glanced at the guard in the room more times than I can count." Mai confessed "At first I thought it was because they were stopping you from leaving the room and you needed an escape, but then she removed her helmet. Azula said she'd been in Ba Sing Se as well." Zuko lowered his gaze, looking guilty. "Not only that but I just saw her."

He looked back at her surprised.

"She wished me luck. She also told me she'd been with you earlier in the year and that she'd protected you because she wanted to. I'm not an idiot, I can read the signs." she said turning to the window, the sun streaming in through it.

"I saw how you gazed off some times while you were here in the Fire Nation." Mai said.

Zuko glanced downwards. "I'm sorry Mai, I didn't mean too,"

"How'd it happen?" Mai asked and he smirked slightly.

"I took her captive on my ship."

"That doesn't sound at all ironic." she responded.

They were silent again.

"I think you should tell her your choice." Mai said and Zuko looked at her. "It seemed she believe you'd choose me."

"Really?"

"She wished me luck didn't she, and she showed me where you were. She pointed me here in order to make sure the choice was yours it seemed." Mai said casting a glance.

"Mai—"

"Don't apologise to me again you moron." she cast and he smiled slightly and nodded. "But do me a favour, don't let her go. And if you do, I'll be here if you need me." she promised, placing a hand on his cheek, before she turned and left the room.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56:

Aang was sitting by the curtain that lead outside when Freya walked up to him. Aang was wearing knew Air bender clothes, and if Freya didn't know any better, she'd have thought it was Monk Gyatsu sitting before her.

She paused as she looked at him, the air bender symbol hanging around his neck. He looked up at her and she smiled sadly.

"You looked just like Gyatsu." he smiled too.

"Thanks Freya."

"I don't think that deserves a thanks." she said before Aang looked at her.

"What's wrong?" he noticed but she shook her head.

"It's nothing."

"Freya, its not nothing." he said, getting to his feet and walking over to her.

"I just saw Mai on her way to see Zuko, that's all."

Aang looked surprised and then he chuckled. "I don't think after everything you need be worrying about that."

"I'm leaving the decision up to Zuko, I'm not going to force his hand and I'm not going to blame him for his decision." she said "Things are changing now, things are better, I wont let something like jealousy stand in the way of another's happiness." she shrugged "If he decides he wants Mai, than that's his decision."

"Something tells me Zuko isn't going to make such a choice."

"You're confidence is noted." she said.

"Freya, you're a smart girl, I'm surprised you wouldn't have worked out something like Zuko being dedicated to you. He left his nation for you." Aang said.

"Sweet Aang but you and I both know it was me he left for." she said

"I think you had a pretty big influence." Aang smiled.

Freya gave him a look before turning to the curtain. "Seen all the people out there?" she asked

"You changing the subject?"

"Yes."

"Katara and Sokka's dad's out there too." he admitted. Freya smiled

"Good, I'm glad they're together again." she nodded

"I think we're just waiting for Zuko."

"I'm here." the two turned as he was walking down the hall toward them. He now had his Fire Nation clothes on, proud and royal and his hair was pulled back into a topknot. The two looked at him as he had his hands behind his back. Freya cast her gaze aside before taking a breath and raising a teasing eyebrow.

"I like when you wear your hair down better." she said. He chuckled as she smiled slightly.

"I can't believe you were once a prisoner on my ship." he said, reaching up a hand to brush her hair. She fought the urge to either lean into his hand or flinch away. Zuko turned to Aang.

"I can't believe a year ago my purpose in life was hunting you down, and now…" Zuko paused and Aang smiled.

"And now we're friends."

"Yeah…" Zuko smiled slightly awkwardly, glancing to the side. "We are friends." he agreed and Freya smiled as they both looked at her.

"I can't believe a year ago I was still frozen in a block of ice." Aang said looking down at himself.

"I can't believe a year ago I had no memory of my past with Aang. Or I hadn't firebended for five years… technically ninety five, or I didn't know what happened to my parents or…"

"Alright we get it." Zuko chuckled and she smirked before chuckling.

"The World's so different now." Aang said before Zuko placed a hand on his shoulder.

"And it's gonna be even more different, we'll rebuild it together." and the two boys shared a hug.

"Woah…" Freya said "I've never seen you two hug before… this is weird." she whispered and they both laughed at her. She smiled before she glanced at the curtain. "I guess I'd better go, don't want to miss your big speech or your coronation." she smiled before turning to walk away. Zuko grabbed her hand.

"I'd prefer if you were up there with me." he said as she looked at him confused

"I don't think I'm special enough to stand up there." she said pulling an unsure face.

"The only person in the world that can bend two elements, and isn't the avatar?" Zuko asked looking at Aang who smiled

"I think you can agree you special." Aang nodded.

She looked between them both before sighing and slumping. "You're gonna gang up on me if I try to refuse aren't you." she muttered

"We're not letting you leave." Zuko said "Please Freya, I want you with me." the girl blinked at him surprised before she pursed her lips.

"Well you haven't been able to do much without me." she muttered, there was a hesitation to her voice but she ignored it as she turned for the curtain. Zuko pulled on her hand and she stumbled ever so slightly before he kissed her knuckles. She blinked at him before he released her and turned to walk through the curtain.

Aang gave Freya a grin, his way of saying 'I told you so' and she shot him a look before they followed the prince.

Those from the invasion sat at the very front of the courtyard where Azula, Freya and Zuko had fought. Lines of Fire Nation people, Water tribe citizens and Earth Kingdom residences sat behind them, all facing the steps in which Zuko stood upon.

As he walked out the Fire Sages that stood waiting for him, they banged a gong and everyone before him, cheered. Zuko held up a hand as Freya stood a little to the side behind him and everyone listened to his next words.

"Please, the real hero is the Avatar." Zuko stepped aside and Aang stepped forward from behind him. Everyone cheered for Aang just as they did for Zuko. Toph sat on top of The Hippo's shoulders shouting and shaking her head as The Duke did the same beside her with Pipsqueak where he belonged. Aang smiled at them all happily and he glanced at Freya who smiled in encouragement. He deserved the applause.

"Today, this war is finally over." Zuko declared as the cheering calmed words of course caused people to pound their fists into the air and shout at the sky. They clapped and shouted, hugged and even cried. "I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honour of the Fire Nation, and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path," Zuko said, he and Aang sharing a smile and a confident, thankful look. "and begin a new era of love and peace."

Zuko looked at Freya who furrowed her eyebrows curiously.

Zuko turned back to the crowd and with a slight pull of the robe he kneeled down before the steps. The Fire sages walked toward him, holding the gold flamed Fire Nation symbol that was then put into the bun of Zuko's top knot, the mark of the Fire Lord.

"All hail Fire Lord Zuko!"

And the crowd cheered as he stood back to his feet and then walked forward. He turned to Aang and nodded his head for Aang to join him. The Avatar stepped forward and they stood side by side in front of everyone as they cheered for them.

Freya smiled before it turned to a frown and she turned to walk back inside, ahead of everyone else.

Freya sighed as she sat on a railing her back against a pillar and looked out over the Palace City.

"I was wondering where you went." she didn't turn around as Zuko removed his Fire Lord symbol and pulled his hair out. He removed the shoulder covering as well before leaning on the railing beside her. "I was surprised to see you'd gone."

"I didn't really feel like I belonged up there." she responded without turning to him.

"That all that's bothering you?" he said

"Should it be?" she asked, turning to him. He was watching her with a smile and she rose an eyebrow.

"Why're you looking at me like—" she cut off and looked annoyed. "Your friendship's progressing too quickly." she grumbled earning a chuckle. Aang had clearly said something.

Zuko looked back out at the city.

"Mai came and saw me."

"I know." she said "Which I'm sure you already know. You know she knew my name…" Freya confessed "Did not expect that."

"Well, she called me her boyfriend."

Freya had a few things to say, the fact that he had been, the fact that he could be, the fact that Mai wanted him to be, the fact that she wanted him to be her's. But she found herself unable to say any of them.

"It surprised me."

"Well you helped get her out of prison and you said you didn't break up with her because of her." Freya said "Leads a girl to think there's still a spark." Freya said simply

"She told me you wished her luck with me." Freya blushed slightly

"No, I wished her luck, I didn't specify what for." she said stubbornly, crossing her arms, an old habit Zuko knew only too well.

He smiled slightly before turning away from her again.

"I said I couldn't be with her." Freya glanced at him momentarily.

"You didn't write her another letter did you?" she mumbled

"No." he sighed

"Good, because that was heartless and totally gutless." Freya said

"Are you really scolding me right now? We were having a moment." he said annoyed and she looked at him before she smiled and then started laughing. Zuko looked at her annoyed as he stood up straight.

She snickered a bit more as she covered her mouth, she didn't apologise.

He rose an eyebrow at her as if expecting her to apologise.

"Remember when our moments used to end in you getting mad or suddenly attacking me?" she asked

"Back in the days." he sighed heavily as if dramatically

"Wow, I'm surprise you miss me beating you on your ass so often." she grinned and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"You'd better watch what you say." he said smirking

"Oh, right, I'm in the presence of the Fire Lord." she jumped down and bowed mockingly. He smirked at him as she straightened up and placed a hand on her hip.

Zuko stared at her before he stepped forward and ducked. Freya gasped as he pulled her from her feet and threw her over his shoulder.

"Zuko!" she snapped but he graced his fingers along her side and she squirmed before twisting herself, slipping through his hands, landing on her feet beside him, only to crouch, slide her foot out, swinging her leg and knocking the Fire Lord off his feet. He was so surprised by her quick move he landed on his back with a grunt. She sat herself beside him with a raised eyebrow as he shook his head and turned to her surprised.

"Maybe things aren't so different." she shrugged before grinning.

Zuko stared at her before he smirked and lowered himself down to lie on the floor. He was silent and Freya rose an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You know I made a decision."

"I know you make several?" she said confused "Which one?"

"You."

"What about me?" she said simply.

Zuko sat up beside her, his eyes on her's.

"I chose you Freya, more times than I can count and yet you thought I'd choose Mai." he said

"You chose Mai once. It wasn't because I thought you'd choose Mai, it was to let you have the choice yourself, who you wanted, what you wanted. I didn't want you to think you didn't have that, and I didn't want you to feel that you had to worry about other's because of what you wanted." she said simply.

"So you sent Mai toward me in order to give me the choice?"

"I didn't send her to you. I just didn't stop her from going to you." Freya glanced downward. "I did consider it…" she confessed.

Zuko's face broke into a full blown grin and she hit him.

"Don't look like that!"

Zuko got to his feet and pulled her up to her's. He pulled her close and placed a hand around her to stop her from moving away.

"I told Mai I wanted you." Zuko said "And she told me not to let you go, and I by far never intend to. I did it once and it was the worst decision I ever made."

"Beside betraying your uncle I hope." Freya interrupted. He smiled and nodded his head.

"I can't count how often I've said this, but I'll say it as many times as I have to to make your insecurities go away. I'm not going to leave you, and I want you beside me." Zuko said.

"I love you Freya."

She looked at him, full in the face, slightly surprised and caught off guard. "Well," she whispered when she found her voice. "That you definitely haven't said." she weaved her fingers amongst his hair. "Took you long enough."

And she kissed him.


	57. Epilogue

Epilogue:

The sun was setting on Ba Sing Se as a Sunghi horn sounded. The Fire Nation troops were long gone and the evidence left behind by them, such as their machines, had already been put to use by the neighbouring kids.

Appa growled as he poked his head in through the large door of the tea house, a pond behind him as he listened to Iroh play the instrument. The man paused as a cup of tea was placed beside him and he looked up at Zuko who smiled at him. Toph was wearing a nice green dress, though still no shoes on her feet, which were on the table beside Iroh as Zuko gave her a cup as well. Aang was kneeling on the floor and playing with Momo with a ball of air which hovered up and down.

Suki and Katara were playing a game on another table, also dressed in green dresses and Katara with a pink flower holding her hair together. Zuko handed them both cups as Sokka sat at the end of the room with a piece of paper and a brush with some ink. Freya was standing at the doorway beside Appa, her eyes closed as she felt the rays of the setting sun.

"Zuko, stop moving!" Sokka suddenly snapped as Katara and Suki took a cup each. "I'm trying to capture the moment." he admitted. He returned to his paper as everyone had now given him their attention. For the first time since Ba Sing Se, the sides of Sokka's head had been re-shaved and he had his 'warriors wolf tail' back. "I wanted to do a painting, so we always remember the good times together." he explained as he smiled at them.

"That's very thoughtful of you Sokka." Katara said walking up beside him before she looked unimpressed and slightly disdained. "Wait! Why did you give me Momo's ears?" she demanded pointing at it. There were large loops beside her face and water was moving up from her hand. Zuko was in the front looking angry with spiky hair and Toph was in the back with what looked like one dead eye, a cross for it.

"Those are your hair loopies." Sokka said as Suki and Zuko joined the two.

"At least you don't look like a boarcupine. My hair's not that spiky!" he snapped. In the picture Sokka had a sword in his hand with Suki beside him, a fan in one hand and fire bending from the other. Aang sat on Appa's head looking simple with his arrow and Freya had a water drop above one hand and a flame above the other. Iroh was beside Appa, taller than him with a nice round belly that he had his hands on. He looked rather happy compared to most the others.

"And why did you paint me firebending?" Suki questioned

"I thought it looked more exciting that way." Sokka shrugged

"Then you haven't really captured the moment have you." Freya said crossing her arms from the door. "You've imagined one instead." Sokka looked at her annoyed. Momo jumped up onto the table and chattered to Sokka who looked at him annoyed.

"Oh, you think you can do a better job, Momo?" Sokka demanded as Aang smiled at them all. He got up and walked over to the door and he and Freya shared a look before he walked out to look at the setting sun.

"Hey, my belly's not that big anymore, I've really trimmed down." Iroh said as he joined them. Aang pet Appa's nose as Toph joined them all.

"Well, I think you all look perfect!" she said throwing her arms into the air and earning a laugh from everyone except Sokka.

Katara looked around the room before turning to Freya and she pointed over her shoulder. The younger water bender moved past her and out to stand beside Aang. They shared a look and Freya stood with her hands balled.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked

"Shush!" she demanded, placing a hand over his mouth. He rose an eyebrow as she turned back to the two and Suki and Sokka joined them before Iroh peered around them all too.

Katara pulled Aang into a hug before they turned to look a the sun again. Freya looked disappointed before they turned to one another again.

"Come on." she whispered.

Katara kissed Aang before she wrapped her arms around his neck and the duo bender beamed as he hugged her back.

She turned to Sokka who was gapping and closed his mouth as Suki grinned at Freya and Zuko rose an eyebrow at her.

"What? It was about time." she mumbled.

* * *

 **And there you have it, my version of Avatar.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I may one day to Korra, I'm not sure. It would be another OC and I know where she'd be descended from but whether I have teh will and time is the question.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing. I do love reviews.**


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